American group hails US stand on visa for Narendra Modi

A few days after 25 members of the US Congress wrote a letter to US Secretary of State demanding continuation of denial of visa to the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) – an American group protesting 2002 riots has welcome the move.

“This bipartisan initiative is a grim reminder of the fact that Modi's administration has obstructed justice and curtailed freedom of religion across the state of Gujarat over the last 10 years," said CAG representative Anu Mandavilli.

The letter, signed by eight Republican and 17 Democratic Congresspersons, urges state department to "deny Mr Modi entry due to numerous reports of his involvement in horrific human rights violations in India."

The letter quotes Human Rights Watch report on the riots, that states that “attacks against Muslims (and other religious minorities) in Gujarat was actively supported by state's BJP government officials and by police.” The Gujarat pogrom resulted in death of over 2,000 people, brutal sexual violence against hundreds of women and displacement of over 150,000 people.