India's Supreme Court yesterday banned the western state of Gujarat from razing mosques in a city where a municipal drive to clear congested areas triggered sectarian violence that left six dead.

The ban came as soldiers were ordered to support police in the city of Vadodara (formerly Baroda), where clashes since Monday between Hindus and Muslims have also left scores injured and many stores gutted.

The national government has told the chief minister of Gujarat to avoid a repeat of the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots, a top home ministry source told AFP.

"Law and order is a state issue but Gujarat has been told in clear terms to stem the violence," he said, warning that more troops would be deployed if local police turned a blind eye to the clashes.

Some 1,500 soldiers were rushed to Gujarat after a Muslim trader was burnt alive in his car Tuesday.

The thinly-veiled federal warning came after Vadodara's Muslims complained that when they telephoned the city police for protection a gruff voice advised them to "return to Pakistan."

Supreme Court judges Ruma Pal and Dalveer Bhandari on Thursday ordered a stay in a ruling by Gujarat High Court. The May 2 ruling allowed the municipality to tear down shrines such as an ancient mosque whose demolition sparked off the Vadodara riots.

A rights group, meanwhile urged Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a leader in the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, to act to halt violence.

"The Gujarat government must be vigilant against extremist violence against helpless civilians," said Brad Adams, Asia director for the New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch.

"Instead of allowing this violence to deepen religious hatred, the authorities should launch an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation to ensure that those responsible are prosecuted and punished," he said.

Modi was also chief minister four years ago when top state officials including the current police chief P.C. Pandey, were blamed for sectarian riots that left more than 2,000 people dead.

Those riots erupted after 53 Hindus were killed in a train fire initially blamed on Muslims but later found to be an accident.