THE EU parliament last Thursday (13) urged India to end violence and protect minorities in the country’s northeastern Manipur state, criticising “nationalistic rhetoric” that it said was adding to tensions.
MEPs expressed concern over clashes between Manipur’s majority Meitei, who are mostly Hindus and live in and around the state capital Imphal, and the mainly Christian Kuki tribe in the surrounding hills.
The EU parliament said the violence has “left at least 120 people dead, 50,000 displaced and over 1,700 houses and 250 churches destroyed”.
MEPs called out “nationalistic rhetoric” and the parliament adopted a resolution last Thursday urging Indian authorities to “promptly halt the ethnic and religious violence and to protect all religious minorities”.
The Kuki community had protested Meitei demands for reserved public job quotas and college admissions as a form of affirmative action. This also stoked longheld fears among the Kuki that the Meitei might also be allowed to acquire land in areas currently reserved for tribal groups.
The resolution noted that “intolerance towards minority communities has contributed to the current violence and that there have been concerns about politically motivated, divisive policies that promote Hindu majoritarianism in the area.”
“The Manipur state government has also shut down internet connections and severely hindered reporting by the media, while security forces have been implicated in the recent killings, something that has further increased distrust in the authorities,” it said.
It called for independent investigations and a lifting of internet shutdowns, adding that “human rights must be at the heart of the partnership between the European Union and India, including in trade relations”.
MEP Pierre Larrouturou, the text’s chief negotiator, blamed the local government in Manipur of “fanning the flames of conflict”.
In response, Arindam Bagchi, India’s spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said “such interference in India’s internal affairs is unacceptable, and reflects a colonial mindset”.
“We have seen that the European parliament held a discussion on developments in Manipur and adopted a so-called urgency resolution,” he said.
Bagchi added that Indian authorities, including the judiciary, are seized of the situation in Manipur and are taking steps to maintain peace and harmony and law and order.
“The European parliament would be well advised to utilise its time more productively on its
internal issues,” he added.
India’s foreign secretary, Vinay Kwatra, said last Wednesday (12) that it was being made clear to EU parliamentarians in question that this is a matter “absolutely” internal to India.
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event