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“Godhra train fire a conspiracy”

Manas Dasgupta

Nanavati contradicts U.C. Banerjee report

GANDHINAGAR: The Nanavati-Mehta judicial inquiry commission has concluded that the fire in coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express at the Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002, was a “pre-planned conspiracy” of the local Muslims.

The report of the commission appointed by the Gujarat government totally contradicted the conclusions of another judicial body, the U.C. Banerjee commission, appointed by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, which said the fire in the coach was “purely accidental.”

The Banerjee commission report was made public but is yet to be tabled in Parliament because of a stay by the Gujarat High Court.

Though the Part-I report of the Nanavati commission tabled in the Gujarat Assembly on Thursday exclusively deals with the Godhra train carnage, and not the post-Godhra communal riots in the state, the report gave a clean chit to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the members of his then council of ministers and police officers. It also ruled out the involvement of any religious or political organisation in the fire.

“There is absolutely no evidence to show that the chief minister, his council of ministers or the police officers had played any role in the Godhra incident or that there was any lapse on their part in the matter of providing protection, relief and rehabilitation to the victims of communal riots,” the report said.

It also rejected the allegations that they failed to comply with the recommendations and directions given by the National Human Rights Commission. The first part of the report, however, was silent on the roles of the chief minister and others during the post-Godhra riots, the report of which would come later in the second part yet to be finalised by the commission.

The commission apparently has also rejected the BJP and the VHP allegations of the Pakistan spy agency ISI’s hand in the conspiracy or the terrorist groups from Jammu and Kashmir in the train carnage.

Naming about a dozen local Muslim leaders of Godhra to be involved in the conspiracy “under the guidance” of Moulvi Umerji of the local mosque, the commission said some “individuals” appeared to be involved in the “heinous act of setting the coach on fire.”

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