NEW DELHI, October 18 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Amnesty International called Friday, October 18, for legal action against a prominent right-wing Indian Hindu leader, accusing him of stirring up hatred against the Muslim minority.

The London-based human rights group said it was "alarmed at repeated inflammatory statements" made by Ashok Singhal, the international working president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), or World Hindu Council, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"Investigations to establish Singhal's responsibilities in relation to the reported statements should be initiated as a matter of urgency and appropriate action, including possible prosecution, should be taken accordingly," Amnesty said in a statement.

It cited Singhal's reported comments on the riots in the western Indian state of Gujarat, where more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, have been killed.

Amnesty quoted Singhal saying October 11 that "what happened in Gujarat will happen in the whole of the country," and on September 3 calling the massive killings a "successful experiment which will be repeated all over the country."

Gujarat is the largest state ruled by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Hindu nationalist BJP party, with which Singhal's VHP has close ties.

Amnesty said it wrote to Indian authorities on September 16 expressing concern about Singhal's September 3 statement but has not learned of any investigation.

"Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion is a recognized criminal offence under Indian law," the rights group said.

"Amnesty International calls on the competent authorities to give a clear signal that it will not be tolerated any more."