The Sikh Federation (UK) has greeted the decision by Narendra Modi not to visit the UK as a victory for anti-genocide protestors. Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK) said: "Sikhs had been in close contact with the South Asia Solidarity Group who were co-ordinating the protest. We had plans for many Sikh protesters to be outside Gate 9 of the Albert Hall on Saturday to show him that ordinary people in the UK were not prepared to let the likes of Modi visit without highlighting his involvement in genocide.

The Indian Government has quoted "security concerns" as the reason for him staying away from the UK, but we know it was the negative publicity and embarrasment that the Indian Government feared. We are also aware of the role certain prominent members of the UK Government have played in the last 48-hours in encouraging the protest - this will cause the Indian Goverment most concern." A Federation spokesman said: "The events of the past 10 days have been a total disaster for the image of the Indian Government abroad. First came the acquittal of two Sikhs in Canada, that has again raised questions about the involvement of Indian intelligence in killing 329 innocent people on Air India Flight 182, to try and discredit the Sikh independence movement so soon after 1984. In the UK this was followed by calls, by an influential group of Parliamentarians, for £300m development aid to India to be stoppped due to unnecessary interference by the central Government of India. Within 24 hours Modi was denied a visa to enter the US, which the US State Department has upheld despite a violent and predictable response on the streets of India. Now the anti-genocide protesters in the UK have frightened Modi to stay away."

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