Howdy Modi : Lawsuit filed against PM Modi in a US court for human rights violation in Kashmir

A group of Kashmiri activists along with the Khalistan Referendum Front has filed a lawsuit against PM Modi in a Houston court, accusing him of human rights violations in Kashmir.

Filed on September 19, the 73-page lawsuit accuses the Prime Minister and the Home Minister Amit Shah along with General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon of carrying out “extrajudicial killings, wrongful deaths, emotional distress, crimes against humanity” and for inflicting “cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment” upon Kashmiris.

The lawsuit against PM Modi has been filed under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 - a federal statute that allows civil suits on US soil against foreign officials accused of committing torture or extrajudicial killing.

As per sources, litigants in this lawsuit are US based Kashmiris who did not wish to be named.

“Within 21 days after service of this summon on you (not counting the day you receive it) – or 60 days if you are the United States or a United States agency, or an officer or employee of the United States described in Fed.R.Civ.P.12 (A) (2) OR (3) – you must serve on the plaintiff an answer to the attached complaint or a motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The answer or motion must be served on the plaintiff or plaintiff’s attorney,” reads the lawsuit.

Usually, in such cases, the US State Department intervenes and asks judges to grant officials immunity to the visiting foreign dignitary from civil lawsuits.

A large number of human rights activists are expected to protest against the much-hyped event, ‘Howdy Modi’ in Houston, Texas scheduled to be held on Sunday, September 22.

The White House on Monday announced that the US President, Donald Trump will also join PM Modi at the mega Houston event on Sunday as a “special gesture”.

Trump has also hinted that there could be some announcement by him at the mega ‘Howdy Modi’ event where PM Modi will address the 50,000-strong Indian diaspora, reported news agency PTI.