In resolution on Manipur violence, EU parliament slams BJP’s ‘nationalist rhetoric’; India says ‘internal affair’

Condemning the violence, loss of life and destruction of property in Manipur, the EU Parliament in its resolution said that it “denounces in the strongest terms nationalistic rhetoric deployed by leading members of the Bharatiya Janata Party.”

While the Indian government responded by saying that the issue is an entirely internal matter, the EU Parliament, in its scathing critique of the circumstances in the country, said that “minorities, civil society, human rights defenders and journalists regularly face harassment; whereas women in particular face severe challenges and violations of their rights often related to tribal and religious backgrounds, including sexual violence and harassment”.

The resolution pointed out that in October 2020, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had appealed to India to safeguard the rights of human rights defenders, raising concerns over shrinking space for civil society and has taken note of accusations made by human rights organisations against the BJP of “divisive ethnonationalistic policies.”

“Whereas violence in India’s Manipur state has erupted along ethnic and religious lines between the mainly Hindu Meitei community and the Christian Kuki tribe, leading to a cycle of violence with over 100 people killed, over 40,000 displaced and the destruction of property and places of worship. Whereas Manipur has previously faced secessionist insurgencies in which serious human rights abuses were committed. Whereas, in the latest round of violence human rights groups have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government in Manipur and nationally of implementing divisive ethnonationalistic policies which oppress in particular religious minorities,” the resolution said.

The EU Parliament called on India and local authorities to “to allow unhindered humanitarian aid to those effected, and for independent monitors to carry out investigations’, for political leaders to cease inflammatory statements in order to re-establish trust and play an impartial role to mediate the tensions and the initiation of mediation efforts by both the Centre as well as the state government.”

The Parliament further called for the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to be withdrawn from the region as well as the restoration of internet services.

The parliament further proposed that the EU and India jointly develop a strategy to address human rights issues, particularly those concerning ethnic and religious minorities and freedom of religion and belief and that a “regular EU-India Human Rights Dialogue at the highest level establishing firm criteria and benchmarks for progress” be set up.