UN experts concerned by government’s response to the violence in Manipur

United Nations human rights experts have raised concerns about the ‘apparent slow and inadequate response’ by the Indian government in its handling of the violence that broke out in Manipur on 3 May.

According to local sources, the violence has resulted in over 200 deaths, 70,000 displacements and the destruction of over 3,700 properties, including houses, temples and churches. There is also believed to be a significant number of unreported cases.

In a press release dated 4 September, 19 UN experts stressed that online and offline ‘hateful and inflammatory speech’ has contributed to the violence, particularly against women belonging to the Kuki community, on the basis of their ‘ethnicity and religious belief.’ They called the government of India to increase relief efforts, to swiftly and robustly investigate acts of violence, and to hold perpetrators to account, including public officials who may be complicit in the incitement of racial and religious hatred and violence.

The humanitarian crisis in Manipur has been described as ‘monumental,’ by a local human rights monitoring group known as the Karwan-e-Mohabbat (Caravan of Love). In interviews with CSW, victim survivors recounted their experience of having to flee their homes from the violence. The situation has been compounded by suspected complicity of law enforcement officials during the communal violence, when weapons were looted from the state armoury. On 5 September, the Supreme Court directed the Manipur government and law enforcement agencies to provide a status report on the recovery of weapons.

India’s Prime Minister Modi did not make a public statement on the violence until 20 July – more than two months after clashes first erupted – when harrowing video footage of two Kuki women being public humiliated was circulated online.

As India prepares to host the G20 Summit this week, which is themed ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (One Earth, One Family, One Future), some have questioned the image that Modi has cultivated as a leader of the global south. In its response, the Indian government described the UN statement as ‘unwarranted, presumptive and misleading,’ and rejected the experts’ concerns.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW shares the concerns raised by the 19 UN experts regarding the situation in Manipur and particularly the government’s response. We echo calls on the Indian government to uphold its international human rights obligations and bring an end to the violence in the state, ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice.’