Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of widespread post-election violence purportedly targeting Hindu communities in West Bengal, India; and what representations they have made to the government of India about such reports.

The British Deputy High Commission in Kolkata has been monitoring the situation and assesses the violence to have been political rather than communal. We welcome West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's call for calm.

We understand that India's Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions seeking a special investigation into the post-election violence in Bengal. We await further details of what next steps the Supreme Court will take. Where we have concerns, we will raise them directly with the Government of India.