DHAKA: Indian PM Manmohan Singh will boycott this week’s Commonwealth summit in Colombo, officials say, amid a row over Sri Lanka’s human rights record.

Indian media said Manmohan had written to Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa to say he will be represented by his foreign minister instead.

A formal announcement is expected on Monday.

If confirmed, Manmohan would be the second government head, after Canada’s Stephen Harper, to boycott the summit.

UK prime minister David Cameron has said Rajapaksa has ‘serious questions’ to answer about alleged war crimes carried out in the final months of the campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.

Cameron said he would urge Rajapaksa to hold an independent inquiry into allegations of indiscriminate shelling, extra-judicial executions and rape of Tamil civilians.

The Sri Lankan government has strongly denied the claims.

BDST: 1611 HRS, NOV 10, 2013
RoR/RK