Godhra Train Burning Was Pre-planned Conspiracy Says Rakesh Asthana

The Nanavati Commission and a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) both upheld the investigation into the 2002 Godhra train burning incident, former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana said, asserting that the findings of the inquiries supported the conclusion that the fire was deliberately set as part of a pre-planned conspiracy.

On February 27, 2002, coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express caught fire near Godhra railway station in Gujarat, killing 59 people, including karsevaks returning from Ayodhya. The incident was followed by communal violence in several parts of the state.

Asthana, who headed the Gujarat Police SIT probing the train burning incident, said the investigation considered different theories and possibilities before collecting evidence that connected the accused to the crime. “At that time too, different theories and different possibilities were taken into consideration. Whatever evidence was collected and whatever we were able to prove was presented in the chargesheet and proved in court. So, it is not that we left any possibility unexplored. We ruled out several theories and collected evidence that connected these people with the crime. One was the Nanavati Commission, and the other was the Banerjee Commission,” Asthana told ANI in an interview.

Explaining how the Supreme Court-appointed SIT examined the Gujarat Police investigation, Asthana said the state police’s probe was reviewed in detail by a team led by then CBI Director RK Raghavan.

Asthana said the Supreme Court-appointed team re-examined the entire investigation, including questioning the officers who had conducted the original probe. He concluded that the findings of the Nanavati Commission, the Supreme Court-appointed SIT, and the court proceedings all support the conclusion that the fire was deliberate.