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He’s been likened to a rock star or Bollywood celebrity who can draw arena-sized crowds. But to his dissenters, he is “the Butcher.”

When Narendra Modi visits Canada this week — the first official visit from a sitting Indian prime minister since 1973 — he will hobnob with politicians and business leaders, smile for photo-ops and affirm the two countries’ close relationship.

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But at each stop, protesters promise to call attention to the abuse of religious minorities in India and Modi’s alleged complicity in the deadly 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat, when he was the chief minister.

One group, Sikhs for Justice, has even hired a Toronto law firm to formally request that Justice Minister Peter MacKay charge Modi with torture and genocide related to the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom, which killed hundreds.

“Canada has been a leading advocate for human rights all around the world. … Canada should stick to its values,” said Jatinder Grewal, the advocacy group’s Toronto-based international policy director.