NEW DELHI, July 19: An arrest warrant has been issued for India's coal minister for alleged involvement in a 1975 massacre in which 10 Muslims were killed, officials said on Monday.

The announcement will be a setback for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is under attack from the opposition for hiring cabinet colleagues facing criminal charges. The warrant for coal minister Sibu Soren's arrest was issued in his hometown of Ranchi, Jharkhand state, at the weekend, officials there said.

The tribal politician has been accused of involvement in the murder of 10 people during a campaign to boot out Muslim settlers in the region who had come from Bangladesh after 1971.

Mr Soren belongs to the regional Jharkhand Mukti Morcha party, which is a trusted partner of the Congress party, which took office in May at the head of a communist-backed coalition government.

Police superintendent S.N. Jha of the town of Jamtara, where the massacre occurred almost three decade ago, said the non-bailable warrant was mailed on Sunday to the Indian capital for the arrest of the controversial politician. -AFP