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The Godhra carnage and the Gujarat riots tracker
(Updated 3 February 2005, 12:00 AM)
We are starting this tracker for the Godhra -
Gujarat riots a little late. From today, 3 August 2004
onwards, all events related to the unfortunate Godhra
and Gujarat riots will be tracked by us on this page.
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Modi ’orchestrated’ riots: Vithal Pandya
Ahmedabad, Feb 3 (PTI) Vithal Pandya, father of slainformer Minister haren pandya, today told the godhra inquiry commission, probing the Sabarmati Express train carnage, that his son had told him that the communal riots were ’state-sponsored’ and was "orchestrated by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi."
Deposing before the commission, comprising Justice (retd)G T Nanavati and Justice (retd) K G shah, Pandya said that his son, a revenue Minister then, had information that Modi had presided over a high-level meeting of BJP party workers at Panchmahals district on the night of February 27, 2002 and told 55 workers to spread across the state.
Pandya said: "Haren also told me that police had gotinstructions to take revenge for the Godhra incident and to go soft on kar sevaks."
He said Haren Pandya had also observed that this was the first time that the state government supported a bandh call given by an outfit as no previous Chief Minister of Gujarat had supported such a call in past communal riots.
Pandya said that Haren had on February 27 itself remarked that the repercussions of the Godhra train carnage should be confined within the town or else it would go out of hand.
Vithal Pandya, however, said that his son Haren had also said that while some party workers agreed with him that the impact of train carnage should be contained within Godhra, several (fundamentalists) of the party did not.
He added that there was a general feeling among hindus that Modi would ’save’ them from muslims.
Pandya said that his son had on February 28 gone alongwith police and pacified rioting mobs in his Ellisbridge assembly constituency. When Pandya started giving too many details , the commission told him to submit an affidavit if he had to say anything more.
The commission has fixed his cross-examination onFebruary 23 which will be done by state government counsel T S Nanavati who sought time to prepare his questions.
The crucial cross examination of prime witness of the Best bakery massacre case Zaheera sheikh is to take place tomorrow before the commission.
15 September 2004
Godhra probe committee visits Godhra
The special high-level committee, set up to probe the fire in the coach of the Sabarmati Express in February 2002, visited Godhra today.
The team is headed by Justice U C Banerjee and comprises of three technical experts.
They met district officials and visited the spot where the coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express went up in flames.
Justice Banerjee said the visit was aimed at getting a ground level understanding of what really happened in Godhra.
Nanavati Commission Must Summon Lalu, Says BJP
September 7, 2004
Taking serious exception to the talk railway minister Lalu Prasad allegedly had with the assistant director of the Gujarat forensic department MS Dahiya, BJP accused Yadav of having made ‘sinister’ design to influence the probe into the Godhra train burning incident and urged the Nanavati Commission to summon the railway minister.
"Lalu, who is also president of RJD, had called up Dahiya in Ahmedabad from his phone from Patna on June 6 and wanted Dahiya to turn up at Delhi as he wanted to hold discussion on the latter’s probe report already submitted to the Nanavati Commission on Godhra," BJP national vice-president SK Modi told a press conference.
Quoting the inter-office memo addressed to his superior boss by Dahiya, who was part of the enquiry team probing the incident, Modi said the director general of Railway Protection Force (RPF) first phoned Dahiya in the morning of June 6 that the railway minister wanted to speak to him.
An hour later, Lalu telephoned Dahiya asking him to come over to Delhi "and the railway ministry will make a requisition to the Gujarat government to send him over for a one-to-one talk with him," he claimed.
"It is a vital evidence to prove that Lalu attempted to influence the inquiry," Modi said urging the Nanavati Commission to issue sommons to both Prasad and Dahiya to present their respective sides on the issue.
Riot Probe In Gujarat Has Improved: NHRC
6 September 2004
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on September 6 told the Supreme Court that the prosecution of riot cases in Gujarat now "is far more responsible" and suggested its further strengthening. The submission was made before a bench hearing amicus curiae Harish Salve seeking transfer of trials of cases pertaining to 14 serious cases of massacre outside Gujarat.
When questioned about its changed stand, NHRC said that it would not stand in the way of transfer of cases if the court felt so on merit of each case. Meanwhile, the court directed Salve to produce the case documents pertaining to its prayer for reinvestigation into sensitive cases including Godhra, Naroda Patiya, Gulbarg, Sardarpura and Ode, by September 20.
Centre forms panel to probe Godhra case
2 September 2004
The Union Government on Thursday decided to set up a high-level committee to probe the fire in the Sabarmati Express in Godhra in 2002 that was followed by communal violence in Gujarat. The panel would submit its report in three months.
The Committee will be headed by retired Supreme Court judge UC Banerjee, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said after meetings of the Cabinet, Cabinet Committee on Security and Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
Gujarat riot accused flees from custody
26 August, 2004
An accused in a post-Godhra communal riots case of Panchmahals district today fled from police custody while at a hospital in Kalol town of the district.
According to sources, Govind Nai, the main accused in the Referend Hospital murder case in which a Muslim was burnt alive in Kalol, fled this morning from the hospital where he was taken for 'treatment'.
Nai allegedly torched a minority community person in the hospital during the communal riots and was arrested only on August 12 this year.
Sub-Inspector arrested
26 August 2004
Senior Sub-Inspector R J Patil of Kalol police station, Panchmahal district, Gujarat, was on Monday night arrested for 'destroying evidence' related to some Gujarat riots cases.
Patil allegedly helped the accused in disposing off 14 bodies. Investigations have revealed that he also clubbed seven cases, which accounted for 14 murders, into one first information report and closed the file.
‘Modi Discussed Post-Godhra Steps In Meeting With Cops’
21 August 2004
The Godhra carnage, its possible repercussions on minority community and the bandh call given for the next day was discussed in the meeting with Narendra Modi on the night of February 27, 2002, former additional chief secretary (home) Ashok Narayan said deposing before the Godhra panel on August 21.
His statement is in contradiction to what retired DGP K Chakravarty and former police commissioner PC Pande said in their deposition (Ref August 18 update). In fact, Narayan said he did not even recollect the presence of PC Pande in that meeting, although he was sure K Chakravarty was there.
Wives of Bilkis case accused cry foul play
August 20, 2004
Claiming that their husbands were innocent, wives of 12 accused in the Bilkis Bano gangrape-cum-massacre case on Friday sent a memorandum to President A P J Abdul Kalam requesting a fresh judicial inquiry into the incident.
The women, who said they had no faith in the Central Bureau of Investigation, reached Gujarat's Dahod district headquarters after walking 55km from Randhikpur and presented the memorandum to Collector R R Solanki.
The Supreme Court had on August 12 transferred the trial in this case to Maharashtra on Bilkis' apprehension that witnesses would be harmed in Gujarat.
"A handful of elements are instigating Bilkis to lodge complaints and even the CBI has actively connived with such elements in arresting our husbands, who are totally innocent and never ever indulged in offences mentioned in charge sheet," the women said.
"We are thoroughly dissatisfied with CBI probe into the so-called incident, as all arrests have been made by relying on Bilkis Bano, who frequently changed her statements," they said.
The women also said that they were in no position to hire a lawyer to fight the case and requested the President that their husbands be lodged in custody in Gujarat itself instead of Maharashtra.
'Modi Govt didn’t try to stop communal clashes after Godhra carnage’
18 August 2004
The Gujarat government had not discussed about any preventive steps to be taken to counter any attack on minorities anticipated in the wake of the Godhra train tragedy, former city Police Commissioner P.C. Pandey told the Godhra riots inquiry commission on Wednesday.
"There was no discussion on February 27, 2002 at the meeting held at Chief Minister Narendra Modi's house to counter the communal backlash anticipated after the Godhra incident," Pandey said, deposing before Justice G.T. Nanavati and Justice K.G. Shah on the second day of his cross-examination.
The revelation, however, was in stark contradiction to his statement on Tuesday that "as the law and order situation for February 28, 2002 was being discussed at the Chief Minister's meeting, there was no discussion on arrival of dead bodies of karsevaks from
Godhra."
Best Bakery retrial from 19th August in Mumbai
August 18, 2004 15:16 IST
With the Supreme Court appointing a public prosecutor, a special court in Mumbai will start on Thursday the retrial in the Best Bakery case.
The apex court had on April 12, 2004, ordered transfer of the case from Gujarat to a Maharashtra court for retrial.
The retrial had been on hold since June as both Gujarat and Maharashtra had claimed their right to appoint the prosecutor. Zaheera Sheikh, the prime witness in the case, then pleaded the Supreme Court to intervene.
The matter was finally resolved on August 16, when the court named P R Vakil, whose name was proposed by Sheikh.
Fourteen people were killed in Best Bakery in Vadodara on March 1, 2002 in wake of the
post-Godhra violence.
2,000 buried riot cases get a new life
17 August, 2004
In a significant step towards assuring the Gujarat riot victims that it won’t accept either justice delayed or justice denied, the Supreme Court today, just as it did in the Bilkis Rasool case, turned its attention to over 2,000 other such cases closed by the Gujarat police claiming that the accused could not be traced.
A bench, headed by Justice Ruma Pal, directed the Gujarat Government to set up a 10-member high-level police team under the Director General of Police to review those cases in which they had filed final reports or closure reports instead of chargesheets.
The bench passed this far-reaching order on applications filed by amicus curiae Harish Salve who said that of the 4,252 cases registered by the police in the post-Godhra riots, about half of them were closed by them as ‘‘untraced.’’
Turning the tables on the police, Salve proposed that a committee consisting of top officials from the same department be set up to consider the grievances of riot victims and determine in each case whether ‘‘fresh investigation was required.’’
Accepting Salve’s suggestion, the bench said the ‘‘unprecedented and abnormal’’ situation in Gujarat brooked no delay and directed the DGP to report the progress of the committee’s review every three months. If the committee’s brief is to revive cases like that of Bilkis Rasool, the apex court has not overlooked cases like that of Best Bakery either.
In short:
• Set up 10-member team under DGP to review cases in which cops filed closure reports, not chargesheets
• DGP to report on progress every three months
• A-G to explain prosecution’s failure to appeal against acquittals by trial courts in several riot cases.
• If panel decides no probe needed, it must put its reasons on the Net
• If probe needed, give it to police officer who had nothing to do with the earlier report
• Look into FIRs as well
On another application of the amicus curiae, the bench called the Advocate General of Gujarat to appear before it on Monday and explain the prosecution’s failure to appeal against the acquittals by the trial courts in a large number of riot cases. Significantly, the Supreme Court directed that activists like Teesta Setalvad, who have provided assistance to it in tackling the Gujarat problem, be allowed to interact with the police committee to help identify cases where further investigation was necessary
SC tells Gujarat to reopen riot cases
17 August 2004
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Gujarat government to set up a police committee headed by the director general of police to reconsider closure reports filed in 2,000-odd riot cases and find out whether further investigation was required.
The court directed the DGP to inform it directly every three months about the progress made.
Of the 4,200-odd riot cases in which first information reports were registered, the police closed over 2,000 saying they could not trace the culprits.
The court asked the state government to file an affidavit by Monday giving details of the riot cases in which the accused have been acquitted and also details of those cases in which the state appealed against acquittal.
Rioting case: DSP files affidavit
16 August 2004
A case of alleged rioting and killing during the post-Godhra riots came up in a court in Himmatnagar
in Gujarat on August 16. The victims were two UK nationals Saeed Safik Dawood and Shakeel Abdul Haid. They were
burned alive inside their vehicle and the driver injured by a mob while on way to Surat on February 28, 2002.
A compensation suit was filed by their widows Sheeren Dawood and Shameema Dawood and riot survivor Imram Mohammed. It accuses, 14 people,
including chief minister Narendra Modi of being behind the attack and seeks a compensation of Rs 22 crore. The then DSP of Sabarkantha ND Solanki has filed his affidavit on August 16. On a government plea, the court granted time till September four, to Modi, the then minister of state for home Gordhan Zadaphiya and 12 others, to file their affidavits in response.
Godhra train carnage accused detained
August 11, 2004
The Gujarat police have detained an accused in the Godhra train carnage incident, a senior police official said in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
"We have detained one more absconder but more information will be revealed later," Special IG (Vadodara range) Rakesh Asthana, who heads a Special Investigation Team probing the train carnage, said.
The anti-dacoity squad of the Godhra police had arrested Rauf Abdul Majid Dhensli alias Kamli, another accused in the train carnage case, on Tuesday, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 94.
Thirty-six accused are still absconding.
One more nabbed for Godhra burning
10 August 2004
The Gujarat police on August 10 arrested Rauf Abdul Majiid Dhensli, one of accused in the Godhra carnage. He was arrested from Satpul Odha locality of Godhra town. Rauf owned a tea-stall on platform number two of godhra railway station, Patel added. With this, total number of those nabbed for their alleged involvement in the carnage has reached 94 while 36 are still at large.
Apex Court blasts Gujarat state govt prosecutor for stalling
warrants
9 August 2004
The Supreme Court on August 10, came down harshly on the role of public prosecutor (PP) in the Mumbai trials of Best Bakery carnage. What cheesed off the august court was the PP's opposition to the issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants to the accused in the Best Bakery burning. "What kind of a public prosecutor is he who argues against warrants to arrest the accused?" the court wondered. The Gujarat government, it added, is "showing its true colours from day one". The PP had argued against issuing arrest warrants, saying the government is taking steps to arrest them. Such a PP should not continue in his post, the court observed. It also advised the Gujarat government not to have 'any ego problem' to agree to one of the four lawyers suggested by the riot victims.
SC stays trial of Naroda -Patiya trial in Gujarat
7 August 2004
The Supreme Court on August 6 stayed the trial in Gujarat on the Naroda-Patiya massacre cases. 110 people were killed in the post-Godhra riots in Naroda-Patiya. SC made this decision on hearing a petition seeking transfer of the trial outside Gujarat. The petition was filed by the NGO Citizens For Justice And Peace. The petitioners said that Gujarat police was in cahoots with the accused. The police was
harassing the minority community in filing the FIRs, they said. The SC has already transferred the Best Bakery and the Bilkis gang rape cases outside the state. It has also stayed trial in eight riot cases which were brought up by the National Human Rights Commission.
KEY ARREST
4 August 2004
The Gujarat police on August 5 arrested Usman Abdul Gani Coffeewala, one of ‘most wanted’ in the Godhra train
carnage case. The police squad, which went to arrest him was attacked by a stone-pelting mob at the communally sensitive area of Polana
Bazar in Godhra. The police had to fire three rounds in the air and use tear-gas shells to disperse the violent mob. Reports quoted police of officials as saying that he was a key accused who was involved in burning the train. He was involved in several highway robberies and dacoities, the police said. This takes the number of total arrests of suspects in the burning case to 93. There are still 37 members at large.
GOVERNMENT FUEL TO BURN SHANTIES?
4 August 2004
Before the justice Nanavati panel, senior police inspector NR Jadhav admitted that the name of inspector NA Modi figured in the FIR of the Ambika Mill shanties burning case of March 1, 2002. Modi is alleged to have given fuel from his official vehicle to mobs for burning the Muslim shanties. Jadhav was at the time posted in Gomtipur during the post-Godhra communa
riots. Jadhav admitted that an FIR was registered, only after the Gujarat high court directed to do so in April. Jadhav said he did not now if inspector of Crime Branch RC Pathak had fired and managed to disperse the mob that had torched the 240-odd shanties near the Ambika Mills. Jadhav claimed he received no information about the burning shanties even from the neighbouring police station.
Senior Gujarat cop fails to explain police inaction during
Gujarat riots
3 August 2004
Deposing before the Justice Nanavati Commission investigating the post-Godhra riots, a senior police official on Tuesday failed to explain why Muslim-run restaurants and Mosques where burnt down on February 27 and 28 despite heavy police presence.
"I was getting information about these attacks. But only the police officer on the spot will be able to explain why the incidents were not stopped," said the then-ACP Shivanand Jha.
Jha could not explain why the police could not prevent the complete destruction of Madina Masjid within earshot of the police commissionerate.
Jha described the communal situation on those 2 days as "unprecedented". He added he had instructed his juniors to be wary of the mobs since the train-burning on February 27 morning. The VHP had given a bandh call on February 28. To a question, Jha said he had not made any appeal to VHP to observe a peaceful bandh.
On February 28, the state police commisioner PC Pandeyhad made a TV statement where he had apparently said that the lower-rung policemen are also susceptible to overall sentiment and that the police are equally influenced by the geral sentiment. Before the commission, however, Jha denied knowledge of any such statement by the commisione
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