Petition against Modi's US visit collects 94,000 signatures

Sikhs For Justice's petition demands cancellation of Prime Minister Modi's visit.

A petition urging the White House to cancel Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States may cross the 100,000 mark as the August 20 deadline for the signature campaign approaches.

Modi, left, will meet US President Barack Obama at the White House on September 30.

Sikhs For Justice, a New York-based group which is spearheading the online protest against Modi, collected 94,726 signatures by Monday, August 11. Almost 10,000 people signed the petition in two days. If the SFJ petition collects 100,000 signatures by August 20, the White House will issue a response to it.

The petition went online on July 21 on the White House's 'We the People' Web site headlined 'Cancel White House invitation to PM Modi'.

Petitions that cross a threshold of signatures on the 'We the People' Web site are reviewed by the Obama administration and an official response is issued.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor, SFJ, did not disclose the group's plan if the petition crosses the 100,000 signatures mark. However, he indicated that the SFJ may file a civil case against Modi, similar to the one it filed against Congress President Sonia Gandhi and then prime minister Manmohan Singh in the 1984 Sikh riots case.

The case against Sonia Gandhi was dismissed by a US district court in Manhattan. Dr Singh was accused of 'rewarding officers who attacked and killed Sikhs', as the finance minister of India, while Sonia was accused of shielding perpetrators of the attack.

SFJ has also sponsored an advertisement on Facebook: 'Sign petition, stop Obama from hosting Modi {Netanyahu of India}. Don't fund another Israel'.