Bucha Civilian Massacre ‘Deeply Disturbing’, India Calls for Independent Probe At UNSC

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into the killings of civilians in the northern Ukrainian town, Bucha, the visuals of which have left the world in shock. “The situation in Ukraine has not shown any significant improvement since the Council last discussed the issue. The security situation has only deteriorated, as well as its humanitarian consequences. Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing. We unequivocally condemn these killings and support the call for an independent investigation,” he said while speaking at the United Nations Security Council meeting, which was also addressed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The senior Indian diplomat further said that the impact of the crisis is being felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. “It is in our collective interest to work constructively, both inside the United Nations and outside, towards seeking an early resolution to the conflict,” he added.

“When innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option. In this context, we take note of the ongoing efforts, including the meetings held recently between the Parties,” he said and also encouraged calls urging guarantees of safe passage to deliver essential humanitarian aid and medical supplies.

He stressed that India continues to remain deeply concerned about the “worsening situation” and reiterated the call for an “immediate cessation of violence and end to hostilities”. “We’ve emphasised right from the beginning of the conflict the need to pursue the path of diplomacy and dialogue,” Tirumurti added.

He later took to Twitter to share India’s full statement at the Council.

The killings of civilians in Bucha outside the capital Kyiv drew international outrage after a mass grave and tied bodies of people shot at close range were found in the town, which was taken back from Russian forces as Moscow shifted the focus of the fighting elsewhere.

The Kremlin has, however, categorically denied any accusations related to the murder of civilians, including in Bucha. “This information must be seriously questioned,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “From what we have seen, our experts have identified signs of video falsification and other fakes.”

The deaths in Bucha also drew pledges of further sanctions against Moscow from the United States and Europe, possibly including some restrictions on the billions of dollars in energy that Europe still imports from Russia. The discoveries came against a backdrop of artillery barrages in Ukraine’s south and east, where Russia says it is now focusing after it fell short in attempts to take major cities in the heart of the country.

At the UNSC meeting, Zelenskyy after his nearly 20-minute speech asked for a video to be played in the Security Council that showed horrific images of corpses lying on the streets, charred bodies and pictures of mass graves across various Ukrainian cities. Some of the dead had their hands tied behind their backs and mouths gagged, including children.

(With Reuters and PTI inputs)

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