Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations, on Monday, September 4, issued a press statement raising alarm about “serious human rights violations and abuses” in the Northeast state of Manipur, including alleged acts of “sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, home destruction, forced displacement, torture and ill-treatment”. The concerns were, however, refuted by India as “unwarranted, presumptive and misleading”.
Stating that there was an “inadequate humanitarian response” in the wake of ethnic violence in Manipur, the UN experts, who work independently, said that they were “appalled” by the reports and images of gender-based violence targeting hundreds of women and girls of all ages, and predominantly of the Kuki ethnic minority. “The alleged violence includes gang rape, parading women naked in the street, severe beatings causing death, and burning them alive or dead,” they said and added that at least 160 persons - mostly from the Kuki community - were killed by mid-August 2023 and more than 300 persons injured.
“It is particularly concerning that the violence seems to have been preceded and incited by hateful and inflammatory speech that spread online and offline to justify the atrocities committed against the Kuki ethnic minority, particularly women, on account of their ethnicity and religious belief. We are further alarmed by the reported misuse of counterrorism measures to legitimize acts of violence and repression against ethnic and religious minorities,” the statement said. The current situation in Manipur was “another tragic milestone in the steadily deteriorating situation for religious and ethnic minorities in India,” it added.
“We have serious concerns about the apparent slow and inadequate response by the Government of India, including law enforcement, to stem physical and sexual violence and hate speech in Manipur,” the statement said. It welcomed the fact-finding mission conducted by lawyers and human rights defenders in Manipur and the follow-up by the Supreme Court of India on the situation in Manipur. They also urged the Supreme Court to continue monitoring the response of the government and other actors, with a focus on justice, accountability, and reparations. “We are also concerned about reported criminalisation and harassment of human rights defenders documenting the cases,” they said.
Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups are part of the Special Procedures of the UN's Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. They are not UN staff and serve in their individual capacity.
The Indian government, in response to this statement, has said that UN experts did not have any understanding of the issue in Manipur, and added that India was adhering to human rights principles and dealing with the Manipur crisis as per its democratic norms.
“The Permanent Mission of India completely rejects the news release as it is not only unwarranted, presumptive and misleading but also betrays a complete lack of understanding on the situation in Manipur and the steps taken by government of India to address it,” a statement issued by the Indian Permanent Mission at the UN Office in Geneva said, The Hindu reported.