Noel Parmar, 2002 Godhra train-burning case investigating officer who received four extensions, dies at 75
Parmar, who was a DySP with the Railway police at the time of Godhra incident, is remembered as an officer who got the maximum number of extensions post-retirement. He had been accused of torture by family members of some of the accused
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Parmar's final rites will be held in Vadodara on Thursday. Noel Parmar, the Investigating Officer in the Sabarmati Express train burning incident of 2002, who received four extensions after his retirement until 2009, died at his residence in Vadodara on Wednesday. He was 75.
Parmar is remembered as an officer who got the maximum number of extensions post-retirement. Parmar had retired as per the service rules in August 2004 and was granted four extensions until April 2009. With the Lok Sabha polls scheduled later in that year, it was due to the Election Commission (EC) turning down the state government’s request to grant a fifth extension to Parmar, that he was forced to retire and hand over the charge of his post in the State Intelligence Bureau (IB) to a junior officer.
Parmar, who joined the Gujarat police as a sub-inspector, rose to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) and was posted with the Railway police in 2002, when the Sabarmati Express incident occurred at Godhra railway station on February 27. Fifty nine people were killed when the S6 coach of Sabarmati Express was set on fire. Parmar had been investigating the case since the beginning, from the crime scene at Godhra station to the arrest of the accused as well as evidence collection and filing of chargesheet.
“Since the case was at a crucial stage during his retirement in 2004, it was thought that changing the Investigating Officer would impede the proceedings in court as Parmar had complete information and understanding of the case from the beginning. Therefore, the government continued to grant him extensions. Although the families of the accused had also lodged complaints against Parmar, alleging torture, he continued to be at the top of the investigations in the case…”, a senior police officer told The Indian Express.
Parmar was also part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that had been constituted to probe the 2002 train incident. Parmar had invoked POTA (The Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002), which was later revoked by the High Court, against the accused involved in the Sabarmati train burning.
Parmar’s final rites will be held in Vadodara on Thursday.
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