A/HRC/31/18/Add.2 B. Personal and community safety 50. Some of the violent incidents that have occurred over the past years have caused feelings of insecurity among minority communities, civil society organizations and individuals expressing critical opinions. One well-known case is the “Ramu incident” of 2012, when more than 20 historic Buddhist temples were ransacked, torched and finally destroyed. At the same time, a number of houses owned by Buddhists burned down to ashes. In that case, the Government reacted promptly and restored the destroyed temples, thus sending a much-needed message that such acts would not be tolerated. However, none of the perpetrators of the Ramu violence has been held accountable yet. According to the Government, the police have submitted charges in 18 cases, and 11 trials have commenced. The Special Rapporteur notes the reported progress but urges for prompt justice to be delivered. Many members of religious minorities, who shared their experiences, remembered such acts of violence, including lootings, vandalism, torching of houses of worship and even killings. Some expressed frustration about inadequate reactions of the police and the judiciary, which they said created a climate of impunity. 51. One particularly atrocious crime is the abduction of persons, mostly girls, with the purpose of forcing them to convert to another religion, while at the same time forcing them into an unwanted marriage, potentially even “marrying” them with their abductor. In addition to other elements of a brutal violation of human dignity, these crimes amount to rape or similar cruel abuses. Such incidents linger long in the memory of the affected families and communities, instilling in them yet another dimension of fear that they will in the long term lose out in the country. 52. Within the Hindu community, Dalits constitute a subgroup characterized by additional vulnerability and stigmatization. For instance, Dalits are effectively prevented from performing certain rituals. However, the Dalit issue seems to be much less visible and politicized than in some countries that neighbour Bangladesh. 53. Insecurity has also spread among civil society organizations. Within a few months, several online activists were killed, apparently because of the critical views that they had spread through social media. The general assumption is that the activists were “atheists” and had “insulted Islam”. However, whether the ascription of atheism is correct seems rather doubtful at least in some of these cases. Nevertheless, holding atheistic convictions is in any case covered by everyone’s right to freedom of religion or belief in conjunction with freedom of expression and other human rights. 54. Apparently, the responses of the Government had not been without ambiguity: while condemning the acts of violence and pledging to bring perpetrators to justice, Government representatives at the same time called upon critical freethinkers “not to cross the limits”. That ambiguous message may have nourished doubts within law enforcement agencies as to whether they should really come to the rescue of critical intellectuals currently under attack. Reportedly, police agencies bluntly informed some of those people that they could not effectively protect them. As a result, some left — or tried to leave — the country. Beyond the group of persons who feel directly threatened since their names were put on a “hit list” published in the press or online by violent extremists, those tragic incidents further contributed to the sense of insecurity among minorities and other vulnerable groups. With regard to the 2013 killing of an online activist, it is noted that a judicial process is ongoing. 3 55. In order to restore and enhance the sense of security of individuals and communities in vulnerable situations, “community policing” projects have been designed and are 3 Judgements were delivered in January 2016. 11