INDIAN authorities were told yesterday to stop harassing human-rights activists seeking justice for victims of the 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat state.

Human Rights Watch said that Gujarat police had accused activists Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand of misusing funds donated to their organisations Citizens for Justice and Peace and the Sabrang Trust and wanted to arrest and interrogate them.

The pair said that the disputed transfers were used to reimburse them for legitimate work-related expenses.

Ms Setalvad is well known for her work to get justice for the victims of the 2002 riots, in which at least 790 Muslims were killed in what has been branded a pogrom.

State officials were accused of supporting the violence, and Ms Setalvad has sought criminal charges against them — including against current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then chief minister of Gujarat state.

“The activists have agreed to co-operate though they believe the allegations are politically motivated, but Gujarat authorities shouldn’t be using these laws to sweep away serious human rights concerns,” said Human Rights Watch south Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly.

India’s Supreme Court stayed the arrest of the couple on Thursday, demanding to know why police wanted them locked up just to question them.

Gujarat state officials have stalled efforts to investigate and prosecute riot cases, harassed and intimidated activists and lawyers involved, and in some instances obstructed justice, Human Rights Watch said.

The Supreme Court has been forced by activists and victims’ families to order new investigations, supervise independent inquiries and even move trials out of Gujarat to ensure that they would be fair.

So far 120 people have been convicted for their role in the riots, including a member of the Gujarat state cabinet.

A 2012 probe said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Mr Modi’s complicity in the riots but a court monitor said that he should be investigated further.

“Justice for India’s terrible tragedies, whether the 2002 Gujarat riots or the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, won’t happen so long as the authorities place roadblocks in the way,” Ms Ganguly said.