India needs to make public its position on Lanka8217;s war crimes: Rights group

Ganguly added that if India wanted to emerge as a leader on the global stage then the country8217;s leadership would have to show its intention of 8220;protecting the rights of people over government.8221;

An independent panel of experts,which submitted its report to the UN,has found 8220;credible allegations8221; of crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Sri Lankan government and the rebel Tamil Tigers.

The excerpts leaked to Sri Lanka8217;s 8216;Island8217; newspaper,said that 8220;the panel found credible allegations,which if proven,indicate that a wide range of serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law were committed both by the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE,some of which would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity8221;.

The Sri Lankan government has rejected the report as 8220;fundamentally flawed8221; and 8220;based on patently biased material,which is presented without any verification8221;.

If calls for accountability grow,observers have noted that the Indian government would probably discuss the issue privately with the Sri Lankan government.

India8217;s position on human rights has come under increasing scrutiny as New Delhi hopes to get a permanent seat in the Security Council.

Recently India,which is currently a non-permanent member on the Council,voted for the first round of sanctions against Muammar Gaddafi but it abstained on the resolution authorizing use of force.

Ganguly noted that India had played a positive role in dealing with the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East but said it wasn8217;t enough to address human rights situations in a 8220;middle ground way8221;.

8220;There are people in Tamil Nadu who also care about it India8217;s position on the Lankan war crimes,8221; she said.