NEW YORK: Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a human rights group, has decided to challenge Presiden Barack Obma’s invitation to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Washington next month.

The invitation was formally delivered by US Secretary of State John Kerry a week ago.

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The SFJ has filed a motion seeking information on the process undertaken by the White House to allow Mr Modi to come to US as his visa was revoked in 2005 during the Bush administration on human rights violations charges.

The SFJ said in a press release: “Narendra Modi’s visa was cancelled/revoked by the United States government in 2005 for his involvement in serious human rights violations during 2002 massacre in the state of Gujarat while he was the chief minister of that state.”

The group says: “Since Mr Modi is due to arrive in the United States during September 2014 and is scheduled to attend a summit at the White House, it is urgent that public be aware of how and under what US law a decision was taken to reverse ban on the issuance of visa to Mr Modi.”

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2014