Minister of State for Agriculture Tariq Anwar has praised India's decision to point out to Sri Lanka that it has come up short in safeguarding the human rights of the minority Sri Lankan Tamil community during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo.
Anwar said: "The Commonwealth meet is very important. India had no other alternative in view of the human rights violation by Sri Lanka. It was in a way justified by Indian Tamils to protest against the meet. It was important for the federal government to respect the sentiments of the Tamil population."
Congress Party leader, E. V. K. S. Elangovan said: "India has a major role in bringing peace in the island. India has a major role on ensuring that human rights violation is stopped in the island. India has a major role in ensuring that proper democracy in the island and every section of the society in Sri Lanka lives in peace and with self respect and with democratic rights."
As many as 40,000 civilians were killed in the last months of the conflict, as government troops advanced on the last stronghold of the rebels fighting for an independent homeland, a United Nations (UN) panel said in 2011.
The U.N. Human Rights Council has urged Sri Lanka to allow an independent body to investigate the alleged war crimes.
Colombo has rejected the allegations and resisted pressure to allow an independent commission to investigate its military, saying a range of recommendations made by its own reconciliation body are being implemented.
Political violence has eased since Sri Lanka crushed the rebellion, but international rights groups say rule of law problems persist, including abductions and attacks on media and government critics.