2002 godhra train burning eye opening facts

JANSANGHARSH MANCH 104, Maharanapratap Complex, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad. Ph. 07926577280Slide No. 1

JANSANGHARSH MANCH

104, Maharanapratap Complex, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad.

Ph. 07926577280

A Brief

Godhra presentation

by Adv. Mukul Sinha & the New Socialist Movement, Gujarat

Copy available onhttp://nsm.org.in


An arsonist named Marinus van der Lubbe, 24, from Holland, had been wandering around Berlin for a week attempting to burn government buildings.. The exact sequence of events will never be known, but Nazi storm troopers under the direction of Göring befriended the arsonist and helped him to burn the Reichstag that night.


The storm troopers, led by SA leader Karl Ernst, used the underground tunnel that connected Göring's residence with the cellar in the Reichstag. They entered the building, scattered gasoline, then hurried back through the tunnel. The Reichstag was set on fire on 27th Feb. 1933.

JANSANGHARSH MANCH 104, Maharanapratap Complex, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad. Ph. 07926577280

The German Reichstag that was burnt on 27th February, 1933


When told of the arrest of the arsonist, Van der Lubbe, Hitler became enraged :"The German people have been soft too long. Every Communist official must be shot. All Communist deputies must be hanged this very night. All friends of the Communists must be locked up.


Hitler left the fire scene and went straight to the offices of his newspaper, the Völkischer Beobachter, to oversee its coverage of the fire. He stayed up all night with Goebbels putting together a paper full of tales of a Communist plot to violently seize power in Berlin. Over 4000 communists were killed thereafter….


It all began with the mobilization by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for a programme at Ayodhya, which they have called “Purnahuti Maha Yagna”

Chalo Ayodhya

PURNAHUTI MAHA YAGNA

AT AYODHYA:

1.1.1


Starting for Ayodhya from Ahmedabad station

1.1.1


Three groups of about 2000 each of Ram Bhakt Karsevaks were to go to Ayodhya. The first group was to leave Ahmedabad on 22nd February 2002 and reach Ayodhya on 24th February 2002

PURNAHUTI MAHA YAGNA AT AYODHYA

1.1.1


The group of 2200 Ramsevaks which had gone to Ayodhya from Ahmedabad on 22nd February 2002, had started their return journey from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad on 25th February 2002.

TRAVEL OF KARSEVAKS FROM GUJARAT TO

AYODHYA:

1.2.1


There is absolutely no evidence that any person in Gujarat (except may be the VHP) knew about the specific date of the travel of the Karsevaks from Ayodhya to Gujarat on 25th February 2002. The Central, State and local intelligence agencies have deposed before the Commission that they did not have any information about the travel plan of the Karsevaks!

From Ayodhya to Godhra by Sabarmati express :

2.1.7


and therefore, in the absence of this most vital piece of evidence regarding the specific information of the travel of the Karsevaks, there could not have been any conspiracy hatched by any person to burn the S6 coach of the Sabarmati Express on 27th February, 2002.

From Ayodhya to Godhra by Sabarmati Express :

2.1.7


Chief Minister sets the agenda

Yet the Chief Minister on 27th February, 2002 had made the following press statement which was published all over Gujarat:



• “The abominable event that has occurred in Godhra does not befit any civilized society, is not a communal event but is an one sided collective terrorist attack by one community ….. He further said that this incident is not a simple incident of violence or communal event but is a preplanned incident….”



• Who could fit the bill of “International Terrorist”?

• They found a “Maulana” after one year of the incident - Maulana Umarji


WHO WAS THIS TERRORIST?

• An innocent, old, semi-invalid respected muslim leader of the Ghanchi Community of Godhra who under the Orders of the District Collector Godhra, was in-charge of the official relief camp at Iqbal Primary School since 5.3.2002!

• He had met Atal Behari at Godhra on 4.4.2002, Deepak Swarup, IG Baroda range, DSP, Godhra and District Collector Jayanti Ravi on 3.3.2002 and regularly thereafter.


On 27th Feb.2002, the Sabarmati Express from Ayodhya had arrived on platform no.1 at Godhra Station at 7.43 hours in the morning almost five hours late.

Arrival of Sabarmati Express at

Godhra Late Arrival at Godhra

3.1.1


Sheelaben Virpal, (Exh.167), Punamkumari Tiwari, (Exh.169), Saitishkumar Ravidutt Mishra (Exh.160), Sadhwiji Minakshi Deviji, a Karsevak, (Exh.5678) and Smt.Savitaben Tribhovandas Sadhu, a Ramsevak and activist of VHP (Exh.150) said that there had been quarrels on the platform with some tea vendors.

Altercations between

Karsevaks and Vendors

3.2.1-3.2.5


There was also a reported incident involving attempted abduction of a Muslim girl by the Karsevaks. Ms Sophia Banu M. Shaikh, a minor girl has deposed before the Commission and has stated as under :

Attempted abduction of Sohiya

3.2.8


“the persons wearing Saffron bands came down on the Platform for tea and snacks. They took their tea and snacks and at that time one bearded person was there whom the persons wearing the saffron bands started beating for some reason.


3.2.8


Seeing this, we got scared and we went away a little far. In the meantime one person wearing saffron band came and he covered my mouth and started dragging me towards the station.


3.2.8


As I started shouting, he released me. As this incident happened, I went inside the Platform near the ticket counter. Along with me, my mother and sister also went inside. We people had become very scared because of which we postponed the idea of going to Vadodara and decided to go back to my auntie.”


3.2.8


There are many such similar evidences to establish that there was indeed a scuffle between the Karsevaks and the tea vendor on the platform of Godhra station including the Karsevaks stopping a Muslim tea vendor from serving tea inside the coach S-6 and also pushing him out of the train.

THE CONFLICTS IN THE STATION

3.2.9


The Guard Shri Pachuram Verma has deposed at Exh.34 that the chain was pulled after the train had left Godhra station at a short distance and the Driver had informed him in this regard.

Departure of Sabarmati Express Chain pulling by Karsevaks

3.3.3


Guards specific statement is that- “ At 8.00 am, the train had started and at this time persons wearing safforn head and neck bands came running and boarded the train. I came to know that the chain pulling had happened because these karsevaks had not been able to get up.I did not take any action since there was a big corwd of karsevaks and I could not know who had specifically pulled the chain.”

Departure of Sabarmati Express Chain pulling by Karsevaks

3.3.3


It is therefore quite clear that the first chain pulling was done from the train itself for the reason that some of the Karsevaks who had got down on the platform, were left out when the train started at 7.48 am.

In all probability, the left out Karsevaks were those who were involved in the quarrel and scuffle with the tea vendor and because of their engagement in this activity, they did not notice starting of the Sabarmati Express.

Cont… Departure of Sabarmati Express and chain pulling by Karsevaks

3.3.6


The Conflict after the first chain pulling

After the first chain-pulling, the engine stopped just outside the platform with the S6 coach near the parcel office. By this time due to the altercation in the station and specially as the news had spread that a Muslim girl had been abducted by the Karsevaks, a crowd of local Muslims gathered behind the parcel office.


Shri Mohan Jagdish Yadav, the RPF constable another eye witness, has deposed before the Commission as under

• We saw stone throwing between the train passengers and the outside people. Some passengers were shouting slogans of Jai Shree Ram. We told those passengers to go and sit in the train and raising our sticks, we told the outsiders to go away and chased them away.


The passengers who were shouting and throwing stones, were passengers of two coaches. The people who were throwing stones from Signal Falia, were doing so from behind the wall and some of them were trying to jump across the wall to enter the station.

Shri Mohan Jagdish Yadav, the RPF constable another eye witness, has deposed before the Commission as under

3.3.7


THE TRAIN RESTARTED FROM THE PARCEL OFFICE STOPPED AGAIN

NEAR THE ‘A’ CABIN

3.3.7


The train that divided Gujarat

2.2.1


THE GOVERNMENT OF GUJARAT AFTER SIX MONTHS, EXTRACTED TWO CONFESSIONS, ONE FROM ANWAR KALANDAR AND ANOTHER MUSLIM BOY, “CONFESSING” THAT THEY HAD STOPPED THE TRAIN BY BOARDING THE RUNNING TRAIN AND ROTATING THE “ALARM CHAIN DISC” FROM OUTSIDE THE TRAIN!

HOW DID THE TRAIN STOP NEAR A CABIN?4.1.4


ANWAR KALANDAR HAS HOWEVER WITHDRAWN THE CONFESSION AS IT WAS EXTRACTED UNDER TORTURE.

BUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE RAILWAY HAD MODIFIED THE DESIGN OF THE ALARM CHAIN PULLING SYSTEM SINCE 1995 TO CURB THE MISUSE OF THE SYSTEM BY TICKET LESS PASSENGERS WHO USED TO JUMP OFF THE TRAIN BY ROTATING THE DISC FROM OUTSIDE AND STOPPING THE TRAIN OUTSIDE THE PLATFORM. THIS FACT HAD ESCAPED THE ATTENTION OF THE GUJARAT POLICE WHILE EXTRACTING THE CONFESSION FROM ANWAR!

HOW DID THE TRAIN STOP NEAR “A” CABIN?4.1.4


4.1.4


On enquiry with the railway authorities it is learnt that all the 18 coaches of the Sabarmati Express that had arrived at Godhra on 27/2/2002 had the modified alarm chain system and therefore, the vacuum brakes could not be activated by turning the alarm disk from outside since the connecting rod is bifurcated as per the new design. The ACP could be effected only from inside the coaches and corrected from outside.

HOW DID THE TRAIN STOP NEAR A CABIN?

4.1.5


The bifurcated rod of alarm disc of S64.1.5


The Guard Shri Verma has admitted that he along with Shri Mukesh Pachhori had corrected the chain pulling of the coach nos. 83101, 5343, 91263 and 88238 when the karsevaks had pulled the chain. Thus from the clear statements made by both the Guard as well as the Asst. Driver, on that day they had set right the ACP in four coaches. In this view of the matter, the ACP which was noticed by Shri Harimohan Meena from coach no. 90238 was not corrected.

HOW DID THE TRAIN STOP NEAR A CABIN?

4.2.1


In practice, railway employees have to physically rotate the alarm disk to reset the Clappet valve. In the instant case as the facts point out, the first chain pulling was done from 5 coaches, whereas the ACP was put right in four coaches thereby leaving one Clappet valve uncorrected..The Driver therefore dragged the train upto A cabin and could not go farther!

4.2.4

Setting right the ACP and departure of the train after first

ACP


A Cabin


Shri Rajendraprasad Misrilal Mina, the Assistant Station Master, who was an eye witness deposed as under:

“On 27-2-2002 I was on duty as Assistant Station Master at `A’ cabin of Godhra railway station from 12 at night to morning upto 8.00 am.

What did the Assistant Station Master see from “A” Cabin

4.3.1


Sabarmati Express train arrived at Godhra railway station at 7.43 am. Since the line was clear, departure signal was given at 7.45 am. The train started at 7.48 am. After some time the train stopped by blowing the whistle.

I could see from the cabin that the train had stopped. At that time no crowd was seen between `A’ cabin and the train.

Cont…What did the Assistant Station Master see from “A” Cabin

4.3.1



4.3.1

When the train started again I looked at the clock in the cabin and the time was 7.55 am. When the train reached near the cabin I was standing near window of the cabin for showing `alright’ signal. When the train arrived at `A’ cabin, the engine was blowing the whistle indicating chain pulling.



4.3.1

The period between the restarting of the train and its arrival at ‘A’ cabin would have been around 5 to 6 minutes. I did not see any crowd at that time. It was about 8 O’clock when the train had stopped.



4.3.1

When the train was moving with slow speed I had seen a crowd running towards and alongwith the train. When I got down from the cabin, at that time some people from the crowd had come near the cabin. Few persons from the mob were throwing stones on the train...



4.3.1

The mob did not arrive together but ten to fifteen persons were coming and gathering....There were women and children also in the mob.I did not see personally as to who set the fire and how. “”


Shri Raju Bishankumar Bhargava, Police Superintendent of Godhra, deposition before the commission is very important to understand the severity of the fire and the spped of its spread: He said that he had reached the burning coach at about 8.30 a.m.

5.1.14

WHAT DID THE DSP PANCMAHAL, SHRI RAJU BHARGAV

SEE INSIDE S6 COACH

Cont….


He had seen people with black faces and with some burn injuries on the head, coming out of the coach.... seen ten to twelve passengers coming out of that coach.... They were coming out of the door on the Godhra side.... The injuries which he noticed on the passengers were on the upper part of their bodies.... he had not noticed any injury below their waist portion.

5.1.14

WHAT DID THE DSP PANCMAHAL, SHRI RAJU BHARGAV SEE INSIDE S6 COACH


Raju Bhargav said that he had not seen any raising of flames in the area of that coach which I could see from the door. I had seen only smoke in that area.... I had not noticed any flames on the floor of the area between the two doors. I had also not smelt any inflammable fuel like petrol kerosene, diesel etc.

5.1.15

WHAT DID THE DSP PANCMAHAL, SHRI RAJU BHARGAV

SEE INSIDE S6 COACH


Injured people


The 4th Charge-sheet added the terrorist conspiracy angle. The police version has not qualitatively changed thereafter till the present 16 supplementary charge-sheet. The Case of the 2nd and 3rd Charge-Sheet was “refined” by adding a “conspiracy” story. The conspiracy was claimed to have been hatched on 26th February, 2002 by Razak Kurkure, Salim Panwala, Haji Bilal and few others around 9pm in the evening in room No. 8 of Aman Guest house owned by Razak Kurkure.

5.3.6

The Government’s version of the cause of fireThe fourth charge-sheet by Noel Parmar


The conspiracy included the plan to burn down Sabarmati Express on 27th February, 02 and for that purpose 140 liters of Petrol was allegedly bought from Kalabhai’s Petrol pump in the night and kept in Kurkure’s house. It is alleged that Maulana Umarji had directed on 26th February, at around 9-10.30pm that S6 coach should be burnt….

5.3.7



THE ENTIRE CHARGE OF THE PROSECUTION THAT THE S6 COACH WAS BURNT DOWN AS A PREPLANNED CONSPIRACY RESTS ON A FSL REPORT THAT SOME RESIDUAL HYDROCARBONS WERE FOUND IN SOME SAMPLES COLLECTED AND PETROL FOUND IN TWO CARBOYS.

5.3.7



The reliability of the report of FSL of the samples is very doubtful since hundreds of onlookers and visitors including the Chief Minister/other ministers had visited the site as well as entered the S6 coach and therefore any material taken from inside the coach or outside on 28.2.2002 could be tampered and/or planted material.

5.2.6

The Government’s version of the cause of fireKerosene or Petrol ??


The Government’s version of the cause of fireKerosene or Petrol ??


The Petrol was used to burn a Garage and not S6

SECONDLY, THE CARBOYS CONTAINING PETROL WERE NOT FOUND FROM NEAR THE S6 COACH BUT NEAR A DISTANT PLACE ADJACENT TO A MUSLIM GARAGE WHICH WAS BURNT DOWN BY THE KARSEVAKS AROUND 11 AM ON THE SAME DAY AS A REACTION TO THE BURNING OF THE S6 COACH.


Burnt Trucks


Hariprasad Joshi, in berth No. 43 told the whole

story:

Thereafter the smoke had reached the place where I was standing inside the coach and as I inhaled the smoke that reached there, I got suffocated and had fallen down on the floor but as the smoke was less in the lower side, my breathing was restored and I found relief…5.1.1

The Burning of S-6 Coach-Evidences



story: As there was a huge rush near berth no.72 of the coach, to save my life, I had traveled to the opposite side towards seat No1 by crawling on the floor and had reached to right hand side door .backside of my jacket near the shoulder and jacket cap had got burnt due to flames of fire. I had burns on both the ears and on the face and I had jumped down of the coach from the door near Seat No.1.

5.1.1




story:

The moment I jumped out of the coach and fell on the ground my breathing was restored on getting the fresh air and it had then struck me that my wife was inside the coach. Therefore I had walked up to the side near the seat where my self and my wife were sitting near the window.5.1.1



Flash Over


Flash Over

• by Rob Aldcorn, Feb. 22, 2006

• Rapid Fire Progress

• Flashover - Backdraft - Fire Gas Ignition

• “Marleau had become separated from his fellow firefighters when a room in an apartment building suddenly exploded into flames in what is commonly called a flashover or backdraft…Capt. Marcel Marleau, 47, died battling a fire in a Montreal apartment building…when he was caught in a backdraft, or a sudden explosion of flames.


Flash Over

• FLASHOVER:

• A sudden and sustained transition of a growing compartment fire to a fully developed fire that occurs when all of the combustible materials present reach their auto ignition temperature. Flame-over or roll-over can be an indication that flashover is imminent. It is important to note that ventilation may initially cause the fire to burn more intensely and as a result more heat energy may be released into the compartment than can be lost through the ventilation opening.


WARNING SIGNS FOR FLASHOVER:

Flashover can occur when a developing compartment fire produces flames in the thermal layer near the ceiling. The flames in the thermal layer can roll or dance across the ceiling as the unburned products of combustion ignite and burn off more completely. Heat will increase and force firefighters to the floor. This lowering of the thermal layer is often accompanied by the sudden lowering of an existing smoke layer.


BACKDRAFT:

A ventilation induced ignition of the gases or combustible products accumulated in an under ventilated compartment fire. With the introduction of ventilation the accumulation of unburned particles suddenly ignite and can blast out of the opening used for ventilation.


Conclusions by Jansangharsh Manch

A. The official version of Government of Gujarat regarding the burning of the coach as developed through 9 charge-sheets does not inspire any confidence since the said version suffers from innumerable contradictions obvious on the face of records.



B1.The theory that Razak Kurkuyre, Salim Panwala and few other Muslims of Signal Falia had conspired on 26.2.02 at about 9pm in the Aman guest house to burn down S6 coach at the behest of Maulana Umarji and for that purpose had bought 140 liters of Petrol at 10pm and hid the same in Razak’s house and after coming to know that the train was running late, organized the burning of S6 on 27.2.2002 at 8am



B2.by first mobilsing a mob of 1000 to stone the train and thereafter sending a few boys inside the coach by cutting thru the vestibule canvas with 140 liters petrol and pouring the same inside and then setting fire to the coach etc suffers from the following obvious defects:



i) Absolutely no indication as to what was the original plan in case the train had arrived at the right time;



ii) Absolutely no evidence as to how the conspirators came to know that Karsevaks were traveling by the Sabarmati express which would reach Godhra on 27.2.02. The police and the intelligence department consistently claims they had no such information!



iii) In the first three charge-sheets prepared by two separate I.O.s absolutely no allegations regarding the buying of 140 liters of Petrol from Hakim’s pump.



iv. On the contrary, the two employees (Prabhat Patel and the other) had given their statement before the police on 10.4.02 but did not mention such a huge sale of Petrol on 26.2.02 and went to a Magistrate to make in March, 2003 to make such allegations!



V) There is specific evidence on record to show that Karsevaks had pulled the chain and stopped the train in the station and not the Muslims!



Vi) The FSL has not found any petrol hydrocarbon in 500kg or so burnt materials from inside the coach and no “Black Carboy” was found any where inside or outside in which 140 ,liters of Petrol was carried!



vii.FSL did not find any remains of any carboy inside the coach. Where did the eight carboy in which the 140 liters of Petrol was allegedly carried vanish?



viii) In case 140 liters of Petrol was actually poured inside a coach and set on fire, it would create a massive explosion specially the coach being a confined space.



ix) In case of such a burning would a single passenger come out alive? In the present case over 70 passngers with superficial injuries above the knee have survived. Can such a pattern of burning of injured passengers be explained by fluid induced burning ?



• The burning of the S6 Coach of Sabarmati Express on 27th February, 2002 was not by way of any preplanned conspiracy by the Muslims. It was not due to petrol or inflammable fluid that S6 had burnt but due to the flash fire that followed the initial ignition. The luggage caught fire thereafter and burnt the coach at a slower rate.



• That the Hon’ble Commission ought to recommend the ordering of fresh investigation by body of experts who have special knowledge of fire in enclosed spaces.

• That the Investigation Officer should be changed immediately.


JANSANGHARSH MANCH

104, Maharanapratap Complex, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad.

Ph. 07926577280

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2002 godhra train burning eye opening facts

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