Nanavati panel gives clean chit to Modi, says Godhra pre-planned

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Gandhinagar, Sep 25: The Nanavati Commission report probing into the Godhra train carnage was tabled in the Gujarat Assembly on Thursday amid high drama. The probe panel said the the Sabarmati Express coach burning was a ‘pre-planned conspiracy’ and it also gave a clean chit to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and the state police in the subsequent post-Godhra riots.

The report, which went into the coach burning in February, 2002 that left 58 kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya dead, said it ‘‘was a pre-planned conspiracy’’ hatched at the Aman Guest House in Godhra.

The train carnage was cited as the reason by Hindu outfits to justify the post-Godhra pogrom.

This finding of the two-member commission goes contrary to a probe headed by another former Supreme Court judge UC Banerjee set up by railways minister Lalu Prasad that the coach burning was purely an accident.

Retired justice Akshay Mehta was the other member of the Nanavati panel ‘‘There is absolutely no evidence to show that either the CM or any of the ministers in his council or police officers had played any role in the Godhra incident,’’ said the report of Justice GT Nanavati, a former Supreme Court judge.

The first part of the report was tabled in the state Assembly on Thursday and evoked instant criticism from political parties and activists opposed to the BJP. They contended that the Commission was set up to ‘‘mislead’’ the people.

The conclusion that the train burning was a ‘‘pre-planned conspiracy’’ was based on various grounds including the statements of the passengers of the train that stone pelting continued for 10-20 minutes to prevent the passengers from coming out of the coach.

The report said that 140 litres of petrol was purchased by Razzak Kurkur and Salim Panwala to execute the conspiracy and added that according to eyewitnesses, Shaukat Lalu and Mohammad Latika, had possibly opened the sliding door connecting the S6 and S7 coaches and entered S6 through that door.

One Hassan Lalu had thrown a burning rag which had led to the fire in the S6 coach, it said.

On the conspiracy, the report said it was hatched at the Aman Guest House on the directions of Maulvi Umarji and executed by Razzak Kurkur, Salim Panwala, Shaukat Lalu, Imran Sheri, Rafique Batuk and Shiraj Bala.

Reacting to the report, the Congress said it was ‘‘not at all surprised’’ by findings of the Nanavati Commission.