Why Modi-Obama friendship elides Gujarat?

There has been a steady increase in Indo-US bonhomie ever since Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister of India .During his two years in chair,  he has taken long strides  than his predecessors in reducing the distance and increasing convergence in the strategic perspectives of the two democracies . During his latest visit to US, Modi has received a thunderous applause to his forty five minute speech to the joint session of US Congress during which  he received a  record number of standing ovations.
 The rousing reception begs a very important question. Has the US, which positions itself as a champion of human rights around the world ,forgotten or forgiven  Modi  for his complicit role in killing minority Muslims  thus committing grave crimes against humanity during Gujarat riots 2002 .The question is important because in its answer lies the  future survival of democracy as a best model which respects human rights. I will explain that a little later.
Modi’s complicity in Gujarat riots is well researched and  adequately documented. The latest  addition to the existing implicative material on the subject is Rana Ayub’s book ‘Gujarat files- Anatomy of a cover-up’. Prior to that Manoj Mitta’s book ‘The fiction of fact finding’  and  Sreekumar’s book ‘Gujarat behind the curtain’ have  provided ample evidence of Modi’s involvement through his acts of omission  and commission. Not to speak of Teesta Setalvad’s material compiled after untiring efforts and Tehelka’s sting operations conducted in 2007.
In an open letter  published in the Guardian’, (10th April 2014) most respected global intellectuals of Indian origin  held him culpable for the massacre of Muslims under his watch when he was Chief Minster in 2002  Says Ashish Nandy, India’s most reputed  political psychologist and social theorist: ‘The Gujarat pogroms were not just about the number of helpless victims killed (over 3000) and rendered homeless (several hundred thousand). It was about the sheer planning, the brutality, the maniacal genocide that was perpetrated over a population for days on end”. 
Modi, according to Nandy, did not only shamelessly preside over the riots and act as the chief patron of rioting gangs, the vulgarities of his utterances have been a slur on civilised public life. His justifications of the riots, too, sound uncannily like that of Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian president and mass murderer who is now facing trial for his crimes against humanity. I often wonder these days why those active in human rights groups in India and abroad have not yet tried to get international summons issued against Modi for colluding with the murder of hundreds and for attempted ethnic cleansing.  If Modi’s behavior till now is not a crime against humanity, what is? 
Following Gujarat riots in 2002 and widespread allegation of State complicity, a US commission for international religious freedom (USCIRF) established  that Gujarat Chief Minister, Modi was linked to communal riots in a significant way. It also noted that Modi’s minsterial colleauge, Maya Kodnani who was fully involved   in the massacre of Muslims was actually a fall guy for Modi. Following its findings, the Commision recommended a US visa ban for Modi. The chairperson of the Commision  Katrina Lantos Swett went further to recommend India to be placed in Tier 2 Countries on religious freedom  along with that of seven other countries Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and Russia. Tier 2 are those countries where religious persecution and other violations of religious freedom  are either promoted  with State connivance or  tolerated by the governments in charge  
According to a report of British High Commission in India, the pogroms in Gujarat in 2002, “had all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing and that reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims is impossible while the chief minister Modi  remains in power.”The report further said, “far from being spontaneous” this massacre, “was planned, possibly months in advance, carried out by an extremist Hindu organisation with the support of the state government headed by Modi.”
Now reverting  to the earlier question, it is important to seek an answer as to whether Modi has been forgiven or his  crimes relegated to the dustbins of history? America may say that Modi is an elected chief executive of a largest democracy and it was for Indian people to punish him through electoral calculus  or for the Indian judiciary to indict him. But that is a specious argument to say the least. Immediately after  riots, Modi won elections in Gujarat and irrespective of that favorable result, Modi was treated as a persona-non-grata by America and his entry to USA was banned. 
So taking shelter under this alibi will be self  defeating for USA. Should it take the Indian judiciary argument, then none better than USA knows that the whole criminal justice system in India is slow and heavily loaded against minorities. And  even the  remote chances of getting justice are scuttled by influencing or  threatening honest judges and bureaucrats. Does USA need to be reminded that for anti Sikh riots of 1984, no political heavyweight has been punished so far by Indian system? Recently an Indian Court acquitted all the accused policemen (Provincial armed constabulary personnel)  responsible for murdering  42 innocent  Muslims  of a non-descript UP village in broad daylight in 1987.   
And if it is presumed that  USA has forgiven Modi, then  we can only mourn the sad demise  of  core values in America.  Slobodan Milosevic  must be wondering in his grave for the  differential treatment he got at the hands of those whose priorities are guided more  by revenue and market valuations.  Whatever be the case, a caveat is in order. America by its odious behavior has undermined and  debased the structure of democracy, it so enthusiastically promotes in rest of the world.

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