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The 2002 Godhra train burning incident has returned to the spotlight after former Congress president Sonia Gandhi described the cause of the fire as disputed in her book.
Former Gujarat Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief Rakesh Asthana has rejected her assessment, maintaining that investigators found evidence of a deliberate conspiracy.
In an interview, Asthana said someone deliberately set fire to coach S6 of the Sabarmati Express by pouring inflammable material inside it. He said forensic evidence, examinations of the burnt coach and surrounding area, and statements from independent witnesses supported the investigation’s findings. He added that investigators specifically targeted the circumstances surrounding the fire in coach S6.
Asthana said the fire killed 59 people, including 27 women, 10 children and 22 men. Many passengers remained trapped inside the coach and could not escape. He added that some passengers managed to get out, but a mob chased them.
According to him, the attackers killed some people and injured others. He argued that describing the incident as an accidental fire and dismissing mob violence would contradict the investigation’s findings.
#WATCH 2002 की साबरमती ट्रेन आगजनी की घटना की जांच करने वाली गुजरात पुलिस की SIT के प्रमुख रहे राकेश अस्थाना ने कहा, “उस समय एक आतंकवादी संगठन से कुछ संबंध भी सामने आए थे, लेकिन हमें मुकदमा चलाने लायक सबूत नहीं मिले, इसलिए हमने उनके खिलाफ मुकदमा नहीं चलाया। हालांकि, इसमें एक साजिश, योजना, तैयारी और उसे अंजाम देना शामिल था। घटना को ठीक उसी तरह अंजाम दिया गया, जैसी उन्होंने योजना बनाई थी…”
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) November 14, 2026
Asthana said the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav appointed a committee led by Justice UC Banerjee after the change of government at the Centre in 2004.
The committee described the fire as accidental and suggested that a stove carried by kar sevaks had caused it.
According to Asthana, a victim challenged the report before the Gujarat High Court in 2005 or 2006. He said the court declared the committee’s constitution and proceedings illegal. He maintained that the commission, the Supreme Court-appointed SIT and the courts reached findings pointing to deliberate arson.
Courts subsequently convicted the accused based on the evidence.
Responding to questions about alleged pressure from then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Asthana said nobody influenced the investigation. He recalled requesting Muslim officers for the SIT because the incident took place in an area with a predominantly Muslim population.
Authorities accepted all his recommendations without objection, he said.
Asthana added that the Supreme Court ordered fresh investigations into riot-related cases that police had previously closed.
Investigators subsequently arrested around 750 people and filed chargesheets against them.
Asthana said he witnessed no political interference or collusion during the investigation.
Asthana said investigators questioned Abdul Razak, known as ‘Kurkure’, the owner of Aman Guest House. They examined the guest house register and telephone records and, he claimed, found several calls originating from Pakistan.
Rakesh Asthana further alleged that some Hizbul Mujahideen members had stayed at the guest house days before the incident. He added that their names appeared in the register.
Investigators consulted senior Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Intelligence Bureau officials in Godhra.
Asthana claimed that the investigation uncovered clues pointing towards a terrorist organisation, but investigators could not gather sufficient evidence to prosecute those individuals. He described the incident as a planned conspiracy intended to destabilise the country.
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