Godhra history,Muslim ‘mindset’ figure in Sabarmati ruling

The judgment by special judge P R Patel that sentenced 11 to death and 20 to a life term — 63 were acquitted — was made available today and although it doesn’t specifically answer the question about Muslims and their “mind,” it underlines the history of rioting in the town. And says that this wasn’t the first incident where Hindus had been burnt alive.

Referring to the depositions of certain witnesses in the case,the court noted that Godhra was known for communal riots.

The court recorded the history of communal riots in Godhra —

there were incidents in 1965,1969,1971,1980,1981,1982,1988,1989,1990 and 1992.

The court added that “during many rioting incidents in Godhra,persons were burnt alive and shops/houses etc came to be destroyed by fire”.

Subsequently,while concluding that the attack on the train was a conspiracy,the court observed: “For Godhra,this is not the first incident of burning alive innocent persons belonging to the Hindu community.”

Some of the other key observations by the court to buttress its conspiracy argument: the train’s chain was pulled for a second time which stopped the train near a lonely area; “immediately,a mob of more than 900 Muslim persons attacked the train with weapons like sticks,iron pipes,iron rods,dhariyas,guptis,acid bulbs,burning rags; the crowd was instigated by “announcements on loudspeakers from the nearby Ali Masjid.”

By creating “such a tense atmosphere,” the judgment said,the passengers were prevented from jumping off the train.

Subsequently,the court observed,“…Suffice it to say that it would not have been possible for the assailants to gather near the place of incident,to make assault with deadly weapons,to set the coach S-6 on fire and to kill 59 persons and to cause burn injuries to 48 others,within a short span of 20 minutes,stopping the train at a lonely place and pouring approximately 140 litres of petrol inside the said coach,if there was no pre-planned conspiracy at all”.