The European Parliament passed a resolution concerning the human rights conditions in India, focusing specifically on the recent conflicts in Manipur.
The European Parliament, located in Strasbourg, France, urged Indian authorities to implement measures to stop the occurrence of ethnic and religious violence and to ensure the protection of all religious minority groups.
In response, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra stated that efforts are being made to engage with concerned EU parliamentarians, emphasizing that the situation is purely an internal matter for India.
For nearly two months, Manipur has experienced intense clashes, primarily occurring between the Kuki and Meitei communities.
“This is a matter totally internal to India,” Kwatra said, replying to a question on the matter at a press conference in New Delhi. “We made a reach-out to the concerned EU parliamentarians. But we made it very clear that this is a matter absolutely internal to India,” he added.
The resolution titled ‘India, the situation in Manipur’ was introduced by Pierre Larrouturou, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament.
“…Parliament strongly urges the Indian authorities to put in place all necessary measures to promptly halt the ethnic and religious violence and to protect all religious minorities,” reads a press statement from the Parliament on the passed resolution.
The MEPs urged Indian authorities to permit “independent investigations” into the violence and encouraged all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from making provocative statements. They emphasized the importance of rebuilding trust and called for impartial mediation to address the tensions effectively.
“Parliament reiterates its call for human rights to be integrated into all areas of the EU-India partnership, including in trade,” the press statement said.
“MEPs also advocate for the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue to be reinforced and encourage the EU and its member states to systematically and publicly raise human rights concerns, notably on freedom of expression, religion and the shrinking space for civil society, with the Indian side at the highest level,” it added.
The resolution coincides with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to France, where he was invited by President Emmanuel Macron as the Guest of Honour for the Bastille Day Parade.
