India is scheduled to move two amendments to the US-sponsored resolution in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) against Sri Lanka. India’s envoy to the UN, Dilip Sinha, who was in New Delhi until Wednesday night, returned to Geneva with instructions to move the two amendments to the resolution.

While this is clearly a political move, it comes after a revised draft that watered down the initial resolution following a lot of persuasion by New Delhi. Now, India will be officially moving amendments to seemingly toughen its stance, and officials were working on the amendments until late Wednesday night. Sinha is expected to vote on the resolution almost as soon as he lands in Geneva. It’s not clear when the amendments will be moved, and whether they will be incorporated into the final resolution.

India’s inexplicable stand was taken after PM Manmohan Singh met senior officials, including national security advisor (NSA) Shivshankar menon, foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai and Sinha to firm up the Indian approach at the UNHRC. As the DMK walked out of the government, the UPA said they wanted to send a “resolute” message.

Briefing reporters later, finance minister P Chidambaram said, India wanted the UNHRC to adopt a “strong” resolution on Lanka. Chidambaram said India will move amendments to the draft to send a “resolute message” to that country on alleged human rights violations of Tamils and “goad” it to have an independent inquiry, a key demand of the DMK. “The amendments were finalized yesterday,” he said, adding Sinha was in Delhi and he will be given “suitable instructions to move the amendments” at the UN meet.

“India’s position has always been and remains that the UNHRC should adopt a strong resolution that would send a resolute message to Sri Lanka and goad Sri Lanka to accept an independent and credible investigation,” Chidambaram added.

Three new paragraphs have been added in the new draft: it welcomed the decision to hold elections to the Provincial Council in the Northern Province in September, 2013, the building of infrastructure in northern Sri Lanka and making the LLRC report the basis of national reconciliation. These paragraphs were missing from the first draft.

These are positions that India takes regularly in its official statements on Sri Lanka, including recently in Parliament. The Indian influence in these paragraphs is evident. Sources said that for the first time, Lankans were pushed to direct talks with the US. This also helped to tone down the draft’s language, Times of India reports.