Question

throw light on godhra scandal

Answer 1

LocationGodhra, Gujarat, IndiaCoordinates22°45′48″N73°36′22″EDate27 February 2002 
7:43 a.m.Deaths59

Non-fatal injuries

48

The Godhra train burning was an incident that occurred on the morning of 27 February 2002, in which 59 people died in a fire inside the Sabarmati Express train near the Godhrarailway station in the Indian state of Gujarat.[1][2] The victims included Hindupilgrims who were returning from the city of Ayodhya after a religious ceremony at the disputed Babri Masjid site.[3] The commissionset up by the Government of Gujarat to investigate the train burning spent 6 years going over the details of the case, and concluded that the fire was arson committed by a mob of 1,000 to 2,000 people.[4] A commission appointed by the central government, whose appointment was later held to be unconstitutional, stated that the fire had been an accident.[5] A court convicted 31 Muslims for the incident and the conspiracy for the crime.[6] The conviction was later upheld by the Gujarat High Court,[7][8] although the actual causes of the fire have yet to be proven conclusively.[9][10]

The event is widely perceived as the trigger for the Gujarat riots that followed, which resulted in widespread loss of life, destruction of property and homelessness. Estimates of casualties range from the official figures of 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus,[11] to upwards of 2,000 casualties.[12]