DHAKA: A US court has ordered Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond to allegations that he failed to stop the 2002 riots in Gujarat, the state he ruled for 14 years till he came to power at the Centre in May.

Modi, who begins a five-day visit to the US today, has 21 days to respond to a civil case before a New York court, which seeks damages for "crimes against humanity and extrajudicial killings under the Alien Tort Claims Act and the Torture Victim Protection Act."

A court summons on Thursday to Modi says, "If you fail to respond, judgement by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint."

The petitioner in the case is the American Justice Center, a non-profit human rights organisation, which is acting on behalf of two riot survivors, reports NDTV.

The petition alleges, "There is evidence to support the conclusion that minister Modi committed both acts of intentional and malicious direction to authorities in India to kill and maim innocent persons of the Muslim faith."

Modi will arrive later today in New York, where he will speak at the UN General Assembly before heading to Washington for talks with President Barack Obama.

The first meeting between the two leaders follows Modi's landslide general election victory in May.

Modi, 64, was denied a US visa in 2005 under the terms of a 1998 US law that bars entry to foreigners who have committed "particularly severe violations of religious freedom".

Critics accuse Modi of not doing enough to stop the riots in 2002 that killed at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. He denies the accusations and was exonerated in a Supreme Court inquiry in 2012. A government spokesman was not immediately available for comment, and a spokesman for Modi's BJP declined to comment.

BDST: 1348 HRS, SEP 26, 2014