Nineteen independent experts from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) have appealed to the Indian government regarding the ongoing ethnic, tribal, and religious crisis in Manipur. The Indian government is anticipated to respond within sixty days.
The crisis in Manipur, where 187 people have been murdered, 70,000 people have been displaced, and over 1,700 homes and 253 churches have been destroyed, is the result of an ongoing conflict between the predominantly Hindu Meitei Tribe and the mainly Christian Kuki Tribe.
The Human Rights Council’s ‘special procedures’ are independent human rights experts entrusted with reporting and advising on human rights from from a country- or thematic-specific point of view. They are unpaid and elected for three-year terms that can be renewed for an additional three years. As of October 2022, 45 thematic mandates and 14 country mandates exist.
Although this conflict began as a political dispute between two ethnic communities, it cannot be denied that Christians from both the Kuki and Meitei factions have suffered disproportionately. The UN experts expressed concern that the violence appears to have been preceded and incited by hateful and incendiary speech that spread online and offline to justify the atrocities committed against the Kuki ethnic minority, particularly women, based on their ethnicity and religious belief. In addition, they are alarmed by reports that counter-terrorism measures have been abused to justify acts of violence and repression against ethnic and religious minorities. Human rights advocates have long called attention to the dire state of freedom of religion in India, including laws and policies that severely restrict the liberties of minority religious groups and allow their targeted persecution by violent mobs.
Persecution and widespread violence in Manipur
From May 3rd to May 6th, widespread violence, pillage, and arson resulted in at least 187 deaths, over 400 injuries, and the displacement of tens of thousands in Manipur. The confrontation was precipitated by an ongoing conflict between Manipur’s predominantly Hindu Meitei and predominantly Christian Kuki tribes, although a minority of Christian Meiteis were also targeted.
Religious symbols and places of worship were extensively targeted, with over 250 churches reportedly destroyed or damaged. The UN appeal deplored the apparent sluggish and inadequate response by the Government of India, including law enforcement, to end the ongoing violence, highlighting the state government’s inability to contain and subdue the situation in Manipur.
During the crisis in Manipur, women and girls on both sides of the ethnic conflict were victims of horrific acts of violence amid the devastation of homes and religious centres. The filed complaint includes the testimonies of multiple women who were viciously raped, assaulted, and even murdered by mobs; these acts of violence have attracted international attention and outrage.
Aid organisations and volunteers are assisting victims on the ground, where violence persists, for the most part. The government has offered very limited compensation to those whose family members have been killed by the violence but none to those who have lost their homes and enterprises or been injured.
Religious Freedom Crisis in India
In recent years, religious freedom conditions in India have deteriorated. Local, state, and national laws, including anti-conversion laws, discriminate against religious minorities and contribute to an unrest-inducing culture. These laws implicitly encourage violent campaigns by mobs and vigilante organisations, such as those witnessed in Manipur and at the Broadwell Christian Hospital in Uttar Pradesh.
The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and other such laws target religious liberty and expression. These laws suppress voices advocating for religious liberty through surveillance, harassment, property destruction, and imprisonment. Numerous attorneys, journalists, and religious minorities have been harassed, detained, and prosecuted under these laws.
International advocates for religious freedom have consistently denounced the flagrant and grievous violations of religious freedom in India.
