New York: Congratulating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on heading the new Government, a US-based human rights group today (May 28, 2004) urged him to treat the promotion and protection of human rights as his primary goal and be vigilant against violence by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

In a letter to Singh, the Human Rights Watch has called for ending "impunity" to those responsible for "mass killings" in Punjab, Mumbai and Gujarat.

"We urge you to do everything in your power to end impunity for past campaigns of violence against minorities, prosecute those responsible for criminal offensives during anti-Sikh violence in 1984, the post Ayodhya violence in December 1992 and January 1993 and those responsible for attacks in Gujarat in 2002," said the letter signed by executive director for Asia Division Brad Adams.

The letter urged Singh to punish police and officials who "failed" to stop violence and those who turned blind eye to the "atrocities" or in some cases "even actively participated" in planning and implementing violence.

It called on the Government to be "vigilant against violence by extremists organizations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which have been blamed for the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on its supposed dilution of the ultra-nationalist Hindutva ideology".

In States like Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, there has already been a relentless campaign by these groups to engage in violence and communal attacks against minority Christians and Muslims," it claimed.

The letter also called for repeal of Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).