European Parliament demands India protect minorities in Manipur State

• EU parliament has called on India to take urgent action.
• The parliament also slammed the “nationalistic rhetoric”.
• Parliament’s motion is a significant rebuke to the Indian government.

The European Union parliament has called on India to take urgent action to end the violence in the Manipur state and protect minorities. The parliament expressed concern over clashes between the majority Meitei and the mainly Christian Kuki tribe, which have left at least 20 people dead and displaced thousands more.

The parliament also slammed the “nationalistic rhetoric” that it said was adding to tensions. In particular, the parliament condemned statements by some Indian politicians that have been seen as inciting violence against minorities.

The motion came as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a two-day visit to France. The parliament urged Modi to use his visit to France to address the violence in Manipur and to ensure that the Indian government takes all necessary steps to protect minorities.

The parliament’s motion is a significant rebuke to the Indian government. It is the first time that the EU parliament has called on India to take action to end violence in Manipur. The motion is also a sign of growing concern in the EU about the situation in Manipur and the rise of nationalism in India.

The Indian government has responded to the motion by saying that the violence in Manipur is an “internal matter” and that the EU should not interfere. However, the EU parliament has said that it is concerned about the impact of the violence in Manipur on the country’s democratic and secular values.

The motion is a reminder of the importance of human rights and minority protection in India. It also highlights the need for the Indian government to take action to address the violence in Manipur and to ensure that all citizens are treated equally, regardless of their religion or ethnicity.

The European Union parliament has condemned the violence in Manipur, which has left at least 120 people dead, 50,000 displaced, and over 1,700 houses and 250 churches destroyed. The parliament called on Indian authorities to “promptly halt the ethnic and religious violence and to protect all religious minorities.”

The violence erupted between the Kuki community and the Meitei community, who have long been at odds over land and job quotas. The Kuki community is concerned that the Meitei community will be given special privileges, which could threaten their own rights.

The parliament also called out “nationalistic rhetoric” that has been used to inflame tensions between the two communities. The parliament urged Indian authorities to take steps to address the root causes of the violence and to promote peace and reconciliation.

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.

The European Union parliament called for independent investigations into the violence in Manipur and for the lifting of internet shutdowns. The parliament also said that human rights must be at the heart of the partnership between the EU and India, including in trade relations.

MEP Pierre Larrouturou, the text’s chief negotiator, said that the local government of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was “fanning the flames of conflict” by using “nationalistic rhetoric” to inflame tensions between the Kuki and Meitei communities.

The parliament’s motion is a significant rebuke to the Indian government and a sign of growing concern in the EU about the situation in Manipur and the rise of nationalism in India.

“By authorising the armed forces to fire on civilians and cutting off Internet services, the BJP is using the local violence to further discriminate against non-Hindu minorities”, he said.

Larrouturou called Modi’s invitation to the parade in Paris “an affront not only to India’s minority communities, journalists and human rights defenders, but also to India as a democracy”.

Manipur is a state in India’s remote northeast, a region that is geographically isolated from the rest of the country. Manipur is linked to the rest of India by a narrow land corridor, which makes it difficult to access and govern.

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