The Hindu : National : Godhra riots : Gujarat seeks more time to submit reply

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 07, 2007
ePaper

National

National

Godhra riots : Gujarat seeks more time to submit reply

Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Government has sought more time from the G.T. Nanavati and K.G. Shah judicial inquiry commission to reply to the arguments of the Jansangharsha Manch, which had rejected the conspiracy theory and the claim that the attack on kar sevaks in the Godhra train carnage was "pre-planned."

The panel's sitting on Saturday was called off at the request of Government Pleader Summit Shah and was rescheduled for January 22 when he would reply to the arguments by Manch advocate Mukul Sinha, appearing on behalf of the riot victims.

Dr. Sinha had pointed out a series of loopholes in the conspiracy theory.

He claimed that Muslims in Godhra neither had any knowledge about the travel plans of the kar sevaks to conspire to attack them nor was it possible to stop the train from outside the coach after the railways changed to the vacuum system.

Dr. Sinha claimed that stone-throwing on the outskirts of the Godhra station was from both sides and was a sequel to the quarrel the passengers had with local vendors over payment for tea and snacks. He did not hazard a guess on the origin of the fire in the S6 coach of the Sabarmati Express, but ruled out the use of hydrocarbons to set it afire.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National