The UN Human Rights Council was asked to hold the government of India accountable for the ongoing violence in Manipur and for not being able to protect its citizens in Manipur.
Representative from Manipur Kh Phajaton was speaking in the 54th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland as a general debate on the follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action as item No 8 on Thursday.
Phajaton’s statement quoted that protection of civilians particularly the women, children, elderly and differently abled persons at the time of conflict must be given the priority, it mentioned.
However, the Government of India failed to protect and provide necessary care to the people of Manipur, the state which is burning since May 3, 2023 due to the ethnic clash, it mentioned, more than 22,000 children are at the relief camps with no proper education facilities and other recreational activities and at the same time pregnant women, lactating mother, adolescent girls, elderly people and person with disabilities are suffering the most, it stated.
It pointed out that serious attention from the council is needed to question the accountability of the Government of India on the failure to protect its citizens, it said.
The mentality of excessive militarisation to curb the violence is not the solution but revealing the failure in governance and in undermining the voice of the people, it mentioned.
Therefore, it clearly indicates that the government of India has failed to implement the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, it stated.
U Jenison stated that the heinous atrocities are being committed by the Indian Armed Forces towards the unarmed students and peoples of Manipur, it mentioned.
It is important to note that in all the violence hit areas, there is a presence of a large number of Indian Government’s Central Paramilitary Forces having their full-fledged camps being established, it stated. All the blood sheds since the last fivr months, are occurring right before their nose with no action to control the violence, it added.
“We the people of Manipur and North East have been suffering due the action of the Indian Armed Forces under the Armed Forces (Special Powers), 1958, yet again the ongoing violence is observed to be occurring under the strict monitoring of the Government of India through its military agencies which need a serious attention of this council and the Government of India must be held accountable for not able to protect the civilians and to end this violence,” it stated.
A statement informed that if time permits in the next session Phajaton will speak for atrocities committed towards Kishan Loitongbam, Soibam Uttam and the unarmed students in Manipur while Jenison will speak to call for Justice for Hemanjit and Linthoinganbi and to stop militarization in Manipur.
