Gujarat HC verdict: All you need to know about Godhra train burning case | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Gujarat HC verdict: All you need to know about Godhra train burning case

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByHT Correspondent
Oct 09, 2017 11:41 AM IST

A coach of the Sabarmati Express was burnt on February 27, 2002 at the Godhra station, triggering riots in the Gujarat.

The Gujarat high court commuted the sentence of 11 death row convicts to life imprisonment in the 2002 Godhra train coach burning case on Monday, more than two years after the completion of hearings on the matter.

Smoke bellows from the carriage of a train on fire in Godhra, Gujarat.(Reuters File Photo)
Smoke bellows from the carriage of a train on fire in Godhra, Gujarat.(Reuters File Photo)

Here’s all you need to know about the case:

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Train set on fire

A coach of the Sabarmati Express was set on fire at Godhra on February 27, 2002. The blaze in S6 coach killed 59 Hindus, mostly karsevaks or volunteers returning from Ayodhya, where rival Hindu and Muslim groups are locked in a decades-old dispute over a religious site.

The train fire sparked three days of reprisal attacks across the state that left 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus dead, official sources say. And as many as 100,000 Muslims and 40,000 Hindus were rendered homeless in the riots. About 130 are still reported missing.

Survivors look at the pictures of the Godhra riots victims at a photo-exhibition held to commemorate its 10th anniversary, in Ahmedabad. (Reuters Photo)
Survivors look at the pictures of the Godhra riots victims at a photo-exhibition held to commemorate its 10th anniversary, in Ahmedabad. (Reuters Photo)

Probe into the carnage

The Nanavati Commission, appointed by the Gujarat government to probe the incident, concluded that the fire in the coach was not an accident but it was set on fire. The Sangh Parivar claimed the train fire was targeted at the Hindus, who were returning to Ayodhya after a pilgrimage.

A damning report of Mohinder Singh Dahiya, the then assistant director of Gandhinagar’s Forensic Studies Laboratory (FSL), concluded that the coach was set afire by someone “standing in the passage of the compartment near seat number 72, using a container with a wide opening about 60 litres of inflammable liquid has been poured and then a fire has been started in the bogie”.

The accused

The special SIT court on March 1, 2011, convicted 31 people and acquitted 63 in the case. While 11 people were sentenced to death, 20 were handed out life imprisonment.

The court convicted 31 people while accepting the prosecution’s contention that there was a conspiracy behind the incident.

All the 31 were convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code related to murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. Those acquitted included prime accused Maulana Umarji, the then president of Godhra municipality Mohammad Hussain Kalota, Mohammad Ansari and Nanumiya Chaudhary of Gangapur, Uttar Pradesh.

Later, several appeals were filed in the high court challenging the convictions, while the Gujarat government questioned the acquittal of the 63 people.

A policeman walks towards the entrance of a carriage of a train in Godhra. (Reuters File Photo)
A policeman walks towards the entrance of a carriage of a train in Godhra. (Reuters File Photo)

The 2002 Gujarat riots

There were SIT probes into the involvement of several political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi - who was then the Gujarat chief minister - for criminal conspiracy in the riots. Modi and others were cleared after the SIT filed a closure report on February 8, 2012.

Maya Kodnani, the women and child welfare minister in the then Modi government in Gujarat, was sentenced to life in prison for a separate case of rioting in Ahmedabad’s Naroda Patiya area, a verdict she has challenged. She has been on bail since 2014.

(With agency inputs)

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch Now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Narendra Modi Live Updates along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Sunday, March 03, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On