Author: TNN
Publication: The Times of India
Date: September 26, 2008
The Justice Nanavati panel which investigated
the Godhra train fire relied mainly on the investigations of the Special Investigation
Team (SIT) set up by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and headed by IGP
Rakesh Asthana.
Absolving the kar sevaks, the panel, in its
report, said, "The kar sevaks had not done anything and no incident had
happened earlier which could have led to what happened at Godhra.''
The Godhra carnage also led to Gujarat's first
Pota case in which 131 accused were booked. While two of them died in judicial
custody, some are out on bail.
Two prime accused, Salim Panwala and Farukh
Bhana, are absconding and presumed to be in Pakistan. Based mainly on reports
from the Gujarat Forensic Science Laboratory and statements recorded by SIT,
the commission has held Maulvi Hussain Umarji of Godhra as the mastermind
behind the incident.
Justice Nanavati has dismissed the theory
that a Muslim girl was attacked on Godhra railway platform, provoking the
attack on the train. He said, "Because the train was running late, they
had to make some changes in the tier plan and circulate a false rumour regarding
the abduction of a Ghanchi Muslim girl. That was done in order to collect
a large number of persons near the train and induce them to attack it, so
that they could get sufficient time to go near the train with petrol.''Justice
Nanavati also asserted that "the train did not stop on its own but was
made to stop by pulling the alarm chain from outside'', disputing claims that
the chain was pulled from inside to stop the train.
