Protests after ‘chilling’ arrest of India rights activist

NEW DELHI: Protests were held in several Indian cities Monday over the arrest of a rights activist who attempted to have Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared complicit in deadly sectarian riots 20 years ago.

One of India’s worst outbreaks of religious violence saw at least 1,000 people — mostly Muslims — hacked, shot and burned to death in Gujarat when Modi was premier of the western state in 2002.

Activist Teesta Setalvad was detained on Saturday, a day after India’s top court rejected a lawsuit filed by her and her NGO challenging a ruling that cleared Modi over the bloodshed.