New York:
On the 10th anniversary of the Gujarat riots, a group of over forty community-based Indian American civil liberty groups came together in New York to demand accountability and justice for the victims. They are demanding justice and reparation for the victims and the arrest of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has been accused of failing to do enough to prevent the attacks on Muslims.
"Any time that any member of any religious community is subjected to genocide and persecution then that is a call on all of us in all religious communities in every nation to stand up and bear witness and demand justice for those people," said Mark Lukens, President, Interfaith Alliance.
"Any time injustice is perpetrated in the name of faith we want the people of faith including Hindus to say not in our name," said Sunita Vishvanath, Sadhana , Coalition of Progressive Hindus.
In 2005, the same groups had campaigned successfully to get the US State Department to refuse Mr Modi a visitor's visa, and to revoke his diplomatic visa.
Now, there resolve is further strengthened by a resolution introduced in the US House of Representatives on Friday that urges the Gujarat government to restore religious freedom in the state.
The resolution reiterates the State department's view that that the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat has not adequately pursued justice for the victims of the 2002 violence.