NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Police in India summarily execute prisoners, torture and threaten suspects and arrest people without reason, a leading rights group said Tuesday. Human Rights Watch says individial officers are not to blame for abuses. India's police have largely failed to evolve from the repressive forces they were designed to be under Britain's colonial regime, according to a new report by the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. "While 60 years later, much of India is in the process of rapid modernization, the police continue to use their old methods," the group said. Officials at the Federal Home Ministry -- which is responsible for the police -- offered no immediate comment.
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Human Rights Watch accuses Indian police of abuses
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Group blames colonial-era police system rather than individuals
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No immediate comment from Indian authorities
The legal basis for much of India's state and federal police services is a law dating back to 1861, which was drafted in the wake of an 1857 uprising against @placeholder rule.