New York City (NYC) mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has said that Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi is a “war criminal,” citing his alleged involvement in the anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002, where more than 750 Muslims were killed.

 

“Indian PM helped orchestrate what was the mass slaughter of Muslims in Gujarat,” the Indian-origin Mamdani said at the May 15th New York Focus/HellGate NY mayoral forum, adding that the pogrom was severe enough that “we don’t even believe that there are Gujarati Muslims anymore.”

 

Mamdani’s statement came about in response to a question asked by a guest at the event, “The Indian PM is holding a rally in Madison Square Garden. He wants to hold a joint press conference with you afterwards, reaffirming the strong bond between India and New York. Do you agree to the event?”

 

Mamdani said that when he tells people that he hails from Gujarat, and that he's a Muslim, it's a “shock” to them.

 

The Gujarat riots erupted when, on February 27, 2002, a fire ripped through a train at Godhra station, burning 59 Hindu pilgrims alive.

 

Accusing Muslims of the blaze, enraged Hindu mobs rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods in several cities in Gujarat, seeking reprisals during three days of bloodshed, killing hundreds of Muslims.

 

The then chief minister of Gujarat, Modi, a Hindutva hypernationalist, was widely accused of turning a blind eye to the violence. One senior policeman testified that Modi directed officers not to intervene as the killings spread.

 

India's premier has denied any wrongdoing and has never been convicted over the violence.

 

However, the bloody riots tarred Modi's international image, leading him to be blacklisted for a decade by the US and the European Union. Official probes also absolved the state police and government of any collusion in the violence, which left 200,000 people homeless. Many Muslims never returned to the state. 

 

Zohran maintained that Modi should be categorised as is Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that these are "war criminals".