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The term 2002 Gujarat violence refers to the riots that swept through Gujarat in February 2002, in which, eventually, at least a thousand people died. The violence, which was communal in nature, spread to Ahmedabad and Vadodara among other areas, after news came of an attack in the town of Godhra on a passenger train, the Sabarmati Express, passing through the town of Godhra.

Many train passengers were Hindu social activists and religious pilgrims called Kar Sevaks returning from the Ram Janmabhoomi(the torn down Babri Masjid). The train was set on fire by Muslim extremists, though that claim was later disputed, as discussed below. During the events that followed, Coach S6 caught fire killing 59 passangers, most of whom were women and children.

Two years after the incident Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav appointed Justice Banerjee to investigate the cause of fire. On the eve of election in Railway Minister's Native State Bihar, Justice Banerjee submitted an interim report concluding that the fire and attack are two separate events. It claimed, that the fire was likely started from within the train, and not by a mob gathered outside the train .This view was not accepted by the Gujarat government and the BJP.

Some called the report into question because of the timing of its release, which was shortly before Assembly elections ; however, others maintained that though the timing of the commission report could be suspect the fact that the forensic research laboratory of the same state studied and came to the conclusions mentioned in the report is significant.67

The riots

According to an Indian Central Government report released in 2005, by Minister for State for Home Affairs, Sri Prakash Jaiswal, 253 Hindus and 793 Muslims were killed. There have been several well-publicised withdrawals of allegations of violence, the most famous one being that of Zaheera Sheikh. Several of those filing reports have been accused of inconsistent statements and blaming their lawyers, leftist activist, public prosecutors and governments alternately for their being "pressurised".

It has been alleged by some that in Ahmedabad there were elements of planning in the violence. Some rioters were seen with documents and computer sheets listing Muslim families and their properties, which the Indian Express claimed at the time were accessed from the electoral rolls of the areas. They also had detailed precise knowledge about buildings and businesses owned by Muslims.

It was alleged, without corroborating visual evidence, in the same accounts that the trucks carried quantities of gas cylinders. Rich Muslim homes and business establishments were first systematically looted, stripped down of all their valuables, then cooking gas was released from cylinders into the buildings for several minutes. In addition, certain mosques and dargahs were efficiently razed, and in some cases the traces are no longer visible. There are also some reports of Hindu temples being attacked and destroyed.

However, several accounts of the riots are contested as fictional, biased and "politically motivated". Previous claims by Teesta Setalvad of the death toll have been demonstrated as grossly exaggerated. Arundhati Roy has made several claims about the details of the situation in Gujarat at the time, particularly regarding the murder of former Congress MP Iqbal Ehsan Jaffri. BJP MP Balbir Punj, writing in Outlook India, has criticized her recounting of the events as pure 'fiction'.

Riot cases are under investigation in an official inquiry comprising of Justice (retd)G T Nanavati and Justice (retd) K G shah. The inquiry included gathering and analysis of 20,940 oral and written testimonies, both individual and collective, from survivors and independent human rights groups, women's groups, NGOs and academics.

The role of the Central and the Gujarat state government in the riots

Various human rights organizations and major Indian newspapers have accused the Gujarat state government, led by Chief Minister Narendra Modi of supporting, and in some cases instigating, the riots. The charges were however not proved in any court of law.

As a further result of these accusations, and as the outcome of considerably lobbying, both for and against, Narendra Modi's US visa was revoked under Section 212 (a)(2)(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act which makes any foreign government official who was responsible or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom, ineligible for the visa. () This decision was protested by the Indian government, but in response the US government pointed out that their decision was based on the report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India. .

However, National Human Rights Commission neither concluded or alleged that Narendra Modi was involved in directly carrying out violence, though it criticised the state government, which he led, for comprehensive failure to protect people's constitutional right.

On part of the government's effort to control the riots:

• Deployed the army, after 24 hours.
• Made preventive arrests of over 33,000 people.
• Fired over 12,000 rounds of bullets.
• Fired over 15,000 rounds of tear gas shells.

In parliament debate, the Government stated that "Ahmedabad and these riots were to be the only riots in the history of India where hundred persons have been killed in police firing."

The President of India at that time, K. R. Narayanan, formerly a Congress Party politician, later blamed the ruling BJP government.

In an interview to the Malayalam magazine Manava Samskriti on the eve of the third anniversary of the Gujarat riots he said :

There was governmental and administrative support for the communal riots in Gujarat. I gave several letters to Prime Minister Vajpayee in this regard on this issue. I met him personally and talked to him directly. But Vajpayee did not do anything effective. I requested him to send the army to Gujarat and suppress the riots. The military was sent, but they were not given powers to shoot. If the military was given powers to shoot then recurrence of tragedies in Gujarat could have been avoided. However, both the state(the Narendra Modi government) and central government did not do so. I feel there was a conspiracy involving the state and central governments behind the Gujarat riots.()()()

.

On the other hand, Many defense experts believe that when thousands of people defy curfew and come on street, Army should not shoot-at-sight because the resultant killings will be huge. These killings will do more damage than good. ()

India's Supreme Court, expressed its displeasure at the government's handling of the case. . The Court also rebuked both the Gujarat High Court and the local justice system, stating, “Judicial criminal administration system must be kept clean and beyond the reach of whimsical political wills or agendas.” Some of the most damaging allegations came from Mr.RB Sreekumar, who served as intelligence chief for the Gujrat Government during the riots. Mr. Sreekumar alleged that the government ordered the killing of Muslims after the Godhra incident. He presented his notes to India Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) which investigates complaints by civil servants.

On its part the Government of Gujarat refuted the allegations and chargesheeted R B Sreekumar in connection with his ‘‘semi-official’’ diary on the grounds of releasing official documents. . Some critics of Mr. Sreekumar questioned the authenticity of the dairy he submitted as evidence.

Conviction

Independent India has witnessed thousands of riots. Conviction in riot-cases is rare. The first of the convictions in post-Godhra riot cases came on Tuesday, November 25 2003 with the Kheda district court sentencing 12 persons to life imprisonment. .

Second conviction came on 14 December 2005, a special fast-track court in Godhra, Gujrat sentenced 11 people to life imprisonment for killing 11 Muslims during religious riots in 2002.. Another 21 suspects were acquitted due to lack of evidence. In a related judgement the court also convicted three people for leading the mobs that had attacked Muslim houses in the same village in the Panchmahals district of Gujarat. They were sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined. .

Third conviction came in Best Bakery Case, Mumbai High Court over-turned lower cournt verdict and sentenced 16 people to life imprisonment for killing of 14 people when the Best Bakery, in the Hanuman Tekri area of Vadodara, was attacked by a large mob.

The cause of the train fire in Godhra

The cause of the train fire is fiercely disputed.

• One hypothesis states that the local Muslim mob who attacked the train set the coach S6 on fire. They quote the fact that coach S6 bore the brunt of the attack. Coach S6 caught fire in the middle of the attack. Moreover, police uncovered proof of large purchase of petrol from a local petrol station. Godhra township fire-chief stated that attackers did not allow fire-engines to immediately reach on the spot.
• A railway ministry inquiry led by Retired Supreme Court Justice Banerjee submitted an interim report stating that the fire and attack are two separate events. Fire was likely started from within the train, and had nothin to do with the mob gathered outside the train. Also, a report by Ahmedabad-based Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) confirmed this . These claims are hotly disputed.

• Sequence of events
• Godhra, February 27, 2002.
  • 7-42 a.m.: The train arrives at Godhra station.
  • 7-42 to 7.47 a.m.: During the five-minute halt there is a scuffle between a kar sevak and a Muslim tea vendor.
  • 7-47 a.m.: The train starts from Godhra station, leaving some passengers on the platform.
  • 7-48 a.m.: The train stops after the chain is pulled in four coaches.
  • 7-48 to 8-00 a.m.: There is stone-throwing between passengers on the train and Muslim residents who hide behind the parcel office of Godhra station.
  • 8-00 a.m.: Train starts moving again.
  • 8-05 a.m.: Train stops for the second time near Cabin 'A' of Godhra station.
  • 8-05 to 8-17 a.m.: A group of people come running from the parcel office towards the train and there is more stone-throwing and violence. The coach is set on fire.
  • 8-25 a.m.: The police arrive and open fire to disperse the mob.

• Gujarat
• 2002
• Riots
• Riots in India