Britain ends 10 year boycott of Narendra Modi Mr Modi is accused of failing to halt the revenge attacks that left more than 2,000 people - mainly Muslims - dead, according to rights groups. The government figures put the death toll at about 1,000. Among the dead were three British nationals who were burnt to death in Sabarkantha district of the western Indian state. When Britain announced it would end the boycott, Foreign Minister Hugo Swire said the government wanted "to support human rights and good governance in the state." "We want to secure justice for the families of the British nationals who were killed in 2002," he added. Mr Swire also stressed the well-established ties with Gujarat due to large numbers of Indian-origin families who migrated to Britain from the state. Mr Modi, a senior leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, denies any misconduct over the riots. But he has struggled to shake off the allegations, and the United States has refused to grant him a visa since 2005. Britain's resumption of links with Modi came two months after a Gujarat court sentenced a former member of his government to 28 years in jail for her role in instigating the 2002 unrest. The sentencing of Maya Kodnani, who served as minister from 2007-2009, was seen as a setback for Modi's prime ministerial ambitions as India looks to general elections due in 2014. Despite the scars of the sectarian violence, Gujarat in recent years has lured foreign firms with its reliable power supply, good infrastructure by Indian standards, and the availability of educated but cheap labour.