By IANS,
New Delhi: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Saturday said that India should press for an independent probe into the allegations of war crimes committed in the last phase of Sri Lanka’s civil war.
“At the UN Human Rights Council meeting, the Government of India should take the stand that the Sri Lankan government should agree to a high level, credible and independent inquiry into the allegations of war crimes committed during the last phase of the civil war,” CPI-M said in a statement.
It said “enough evidence exists about war crimes” against innocent civilians.
The party politburo said that four years have passed since the end of the hostilities between the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE but no meaningful step has been taken to address the issue of atrocities committed during the last phase of the war.
Last year, the CPI-M said, the UNHRC had adopted a resolution asking the Sri Lankan government to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, but there had been no progress on the matter.
“It is also a matter of concern that the Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa has declared that no autonomy will be given to the Tamil-speaking areas.
“By this, he has gone back from his own stand that something more than the 13th amendment to the constitution can be provided in terms of devolution of power to the Tamil-speaking region,” the statement said.
It said the Indian government should pressurise the Sri Lankan government to arrive at a political settlement, so that adequate power is devolved to the Tamil-speaking areas.
DMK chief M.Karunanidhi had Friday warned that his party would pull out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government if India did not press for an independent international probe against those responsible for the genocide in Sri Lanka in the US-sponsored resolution in the UNHRC against the island nation.
He issued another statement Saturday asking the central government to take a tough line against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC meet in Geneva.