He is blamed for the death of 2,000 Muslims in India. So why is Narendra Modi in Wembley?

There was to be no Pinochet-style arrest for Narendra Modi. Instead, a man either responsible for mass-genocide or the saviour of India's Hindus - depending on your point of view - rolled into Wembley conference centre last night besieged by hundreds of Muslim protesters from as far afield as Bolton, Birmingham and Leicester. "Three thousand people dead! Modi murderer!" they chanted.

The Hindu chief minister of India's Gujarat state is blamed for the sectarian murder of at least 2,000 Muslims last year. Now he is thought to be using his profile in Britain to push for bigger electoral rewards at home. It's a policy his opponents say is tinged in blood.

The wave of communal violence began in February 2002 when a group of Muslims set fire to a train in the western town of Godhra. Some 59 Hindu pilgrims, many of them women and children, perished. The incident led to gangs of Hindus in Gujarat, one of India's most prosperous states, taking revenge on their Muslim neighbours.

In the inferno that followed more than 2,000 Muslims were killed, as Hindu mobs went on a spree of raping, burning and murdering. The dead included three Britons visiting India on holiday.

Instead of trying to prevent the slaughter, Mr Modi - a member of India's right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) - instructed his administration to do nothing.

Hundreds of people were in the Wembley audience to hear Mr Modi speak and organisers claimed the 2,500-capacity hall was full. In his speech he talked mostly of business and attracting investment to Gujarat. But outside the centre the Muslim protesters were claiming he had blood on his hands over the "organised pogrom".

Many also criticised the Home Office for granting Mr Modi a visa.The demonstrators holding placards from a variety of groups put on a noisy but predominantly peaceful demonstration. Later their noise level escalated when one Muslim demonstrator running towards the venue was dragged away by police.

Burnt alive



Among the protesters was Bilal Dawood, 34, whose family lost two members in last year's violence. His brother Faeed, 41, and his cousin Shakil, 38, were on holiday in Gujarat when a mob stopped their car and they were set ablaze with petrol. A 17-year-old cousin of Mr Dawood escaped but has been left severely traumatised by the attack. Mr Dawood, of Batley, West Yorkshire, said: "All we want is a proper investigation to get justice for what happened to them."

Asked if he would like to see Mr Modi arrested in London, Mr Dawood said: "I would like to see the possibility of him being arrested... but what we are after is the specific people who did this. There have been six people arrested but then released and no one has been charged."

Indeed the absence of any arrests following the 2,000-plus killings is one of the main reasons for the anger of Muslim groups.

The British government yesterday indicated that it did not want anything to do with Mr Modi's visit. The Home Office said in a statement: "We are aware he's visiting the UK. He is not visiting at her majesty's government's invitation nor does the government plan to have any contact with him when he's here.

"We do understand the concerns expressed but there were no appropriate grounds to refuse Mr Modi a visa."

The Foreign Office echoed the Home Office line and a spokeswoman said: "We are concerned by a report that the state government of Gujarat did not do as much as it could to prompt an end to the violence."

Mr Modi arrived at Heathrow yesterday morning and is scheduled to stay in the UK until Thursday on his private visit, meeting political, social and business groups. Hasmukh Shah, a spokesman for the Friends of Gujarat, which helped organise his trip with more than a dozen other Hindu groups, said that Mr Modi had been badly misrepresented.

"The allegations they are making are wholly false. In fact Mr Modi and the authority did much to help all communities during the violence." He said international agencies which had investigated last year's attacks had exonerated Mr Modi of blame.

"No fear or favour, that is what Mr Modi is about and he is responsible for great economic progress for all people in Gujarat."

A statement by the organisers of his London trip, during which he will also make a speech at a hotel near St James's park in central London tomorrow, said: "He is here for a visit to promote the state, attract investments and invite potential participants at the Vibrant Gujarat global investor summit to be held in Gujarat next month."

One group, the Federation of Student Islamic Society (Fosis), criticised Wembley conference centre for hosting Mr Modi's speech. A spokesman for Fosis said: "How can a reputable conference venue play host to a man like Mr Modi?"

Wembley conference centre insisted it accepted bookings from "organisations legitimate under the laws of England". It added: "The BJP is the governing party in India and Narendra Modi is a high-ranking official who has been granted a visa."

Shailesh Parekh, 39, a Solihull businessman, was among Mr Modi's admirers in the Wembley audience. "I am interested in what he has to say," he said. "You will not see Hindu people demonstrating like the Muslims here today - Hindus are tolerant."

But with demonstrators still chanting outside as Mr Modi drew his stage act to a close last night, tolerance seemed to be conspicuous only by its absence.