Godhra verdict: 31 guilty, 63 acquitted, punishment on 25 February

Desh Gujarat, Ahmedabad, 22 February, 2011

One of the accused acquitted is Maulvi Hussain Umar who was according to Police
version believed to be the main mastermind behind the train carnage carnage that had
triggered widespread communal riots in Gujarat. Also Mohammad Hussain Kalota
has been acquitted.

Punishment to those declared guilty will be announced on 25 February.

According to verdict now it has been proved that this was a pre-planned conspiracy.
The theory of accidental fire has been thus proven wrong.

Those convicted are: Suleman Ahmedhussain Tiger, Abdul Raheman Abdul Majid
Suleja alias Haji Bilal, Abdul Raheman Abdul Majid Dhantiya alias Kankatto alias
Jamburo, Qasim Abdulsattar alias Qasim Biriyani Ghanchi, Irfan Siraz Bando
Ghanchi, Anwarmohammad Maheda alias Lalu, Abdulrazak Mohammad Kurkur,
Siddik alias Matunga Abdul Badam, Mohammad Yakub Mitha alias Popa, Ramzani
Binyamin Bahera, Hussain Ahmed Charkha, Jabir Binyamin Bahera, Maheboob
Khalid Chanda, Shoeb Yusuf Ahmed, Shaukat alias Bhano Faruk Aslam, Siddik
Mohammad Mora, Salim alias Suleman Yusuf Sattar, Abdulsttar Ibrahim, Abdul Rauf
Abdul Majid Isha, Yunus Abdulhaq Ghadiali, Ibrahim Abdulrazak Abdul alias Bhano,
Siraj Mohammad Abdul Meda alias Badam, Bilal Abdul Ismail Badam, Faruk alias
Bhuriyo Abdulsattar Ibrahim, Irfan Abdul Majid Kalandar alias Bhopo, Irfan
Mohammad Abdul Gani Pataliya, Aiyub Abdul Gani Ismail Patalia, Shaukat Abdul
Maulvi Ismail Badam, Mohammad alias Hani Abdula Maulvi Ismail Badam,
Maheboob Ahmed Yusuf Hussain alias Latiko, Shaukat Yusuf Ismail Mohammad
Vivino.

Those who had poured petrol over coach s-6 are: Aiyub Pataliya, Irfan Kalandar,
Mehboob Popa, Shaukat Patadiya and Siddik Vohra.

All the 63 people acquitted by a court were released from Sabarmati Central Jail in
the evening and taken to Godhra in two buses. The acquitted people belong to
Godhra, 160 km away. The two buses were escorted by police vehicles. One bus
contained all their belongings, while they sat in the other bus.

The trial, conducted inside the Sabarmati Central Jail here, began in June 2009 with
the framing of charges against 94 accused, who are in the high-security prison since
2002.

The accused have been charged with criminal conspiracy and murder in burning of
the S-6 coach of the train on February 27, 2002 near Godhra, about 125 km from here.
Most of the deceased were karsevaks returning from Ayodhya.

Following the incident, widespread communal riots broke out in various parts of the
state in which over 1,000 people were killed.

As many as 253 witnesses were examined during the trial and over 1500 documentary
evidences were presented before the court by the Gujarat police.

Initially there were 107 accused, of which five died during the pendency of the case,
while eight others were juveniles, who were tried by a separate court.

Core group members of conspiracy are enjoying safe heaven in Pakistan

Core members of a group of Muslims in Godhra who conspired the Sabarmati
express train carnage in 2002 are living freely in Pakistan, the country that is
known to harbor the terrorists. Though red corner notice are issued against
several accused, only one of them has been arrested so far, and he too has been
acquitted in Tuesdays verdict delivered by court in Ahmedabad.

According to todays verdict, three accused Salim Haji Ibrahim Panwala,
Shaukat Ahmed Charkha alias Lalu and Faruk Bhano are still at large and are
not arrested in Godhra case.

Originally Godhra train attacks four accused were traced to be in Pakistan and
Red corner notices were issued against them. However only one of them
Ibrahim alias Kachuka could be arrested in 2009 when he was returning from
Pakistan in train.

Two accused Salim Panwala and Charkho are not arrested yet because they are
presently enjoying safe heaven in Pakistan according to Police version, while
main culprit Bhano is untraceable and therefore no red corner notice has been
issued against him. He could be in any country at any location.

URL: http://deshgujarat.com/2011/02/22/godhra-verdict31-accused-guilty-63-
acquitted-punishment-on-25-february/