Gujarat Assembly trades charges on Nanavati report

In his reply, state Home Minister Amit Shah threw a gauntlet to the Congress to make the Godhra carnage its poll plank in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Shah said 8220;the people of Gujarat will once again ensure a total rout of the Congress at the elections8221;. The minister alleged that the Opposition was attempting to 8220;protect the POTA detainees of the Godhra train burning incident8221; by raising a hue and cry over the report.

Initiating the debate in the House, Gohil referred the name of Justice J S Verma, the former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission. He said Justice Verma had observed that the investigations into the Godhra and post-Godhra riots were not being conducted properly. 8220;It was the BJP-led NDA regime that had appointed Justice Verma as the NHRC chairman who had made these observations,8221; Gohil told the House.

Debunking the 8220;pre-planned conspiracy8221; theory, Gohil said the Sabarmati Express was late by five hours on that fateful day, and that even the Forensic Sciences Laboratory had pointed out that petrol had not been poured into the coach from the outside. This suggests that the 8220;conspiracy8221; theory had been cooked up, he said.