NEW DELHI, Aug 3: Indian sleuths raided hotel rooms of leading human rights activists from South Asia on Tuesday night, including Asma Jehangir and I.A. Rehman, reports and witnesses said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Ms Jehangir before she returned home on Thursday and apologised for the incident. He blamed it on a high security cover extended for the Independence Day celebrations on Aug 15.

Mr Rehman told Dawn that the three men who rummaged through the belongings of the activists said they belonged to Delhi police. Ms Jehnagir objected to the absence of women police officers who are the only people authorised to search women under the law.

“I was in my room when three policemen came in wanting to search it. They went through my bags and cupboards. They then went to Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim and I.A. Rehman’s rooms. They said it was because of August 15,” she told The Hindu.

Ms Jehangir and the others were on a visit to New Delhi to attend a meeting of the South Asians for Human Rights.