A group of Indian-American organisations has claimed the support of 27 more US lawmakers for its demand to deny an entry visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his role in the 2002 riots.
The Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) on Saturday said that 27 lawmakers led by Republican Congressman Joseph Pitts have urged the State Department to once again reaffirm its decision to continue its ban on Modi's entry into the US.
In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the lawmakers urged the US government to condemn Modi's actions and policies by "denying him the right to enter our country" to attend the Aug 29-31 World Gujarati Conference in New Jersey.
They alleged "serious human rights violations, persecution of minorities and total disregard of religious freedom practiced in direct contravention of International Human Rights norms and treaties by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government in Gujarat.
Some 100,000 victims of genocide were unable to return to their homes with continuous attempts to obstruct a legitimate and fair trial to bring the perpetrators of the 2002 communal genocide to justice.
"Modi and his administration closed the files on over 2,000 police cases where the victims filed reports of rapes, killings and destruction of their property," the lawmakers wrote to Rice, according to CAG.
Earlier two Democratic members of the House, Betty McCollum and Joe Sestak and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) had urged simil
