Advertisement

The Nanavati-Shah Commission probing the Godhra train inferno and the anti-minority mayhem afterwards has ruled out the submission of any interim report on the 2002 incidents.

This clarification from the commission came on Wednesday following objection raised to the idea of an interim report by the Jan Sangharsh Manch which suspects that a separate report only on the Godhra train fire is likely to be one-sided.

Secular activists and NGOs here have suspected that an interim report only on the Godhra train inferno, disregarding the riots thereafter, would help Chief Minister Narendra Modi to deepen the communal divide on the eve on assembly elections due this year.

In an application before the Commission, the Jan Sangharsh Manch Counsel Dr Mukul Sinha has said that the interim report is likely to be one-sided as no inquiry has yet been conducted regarding the role of the Chief Minister, other Ministers and officials.

Since the Gujarat assembly elections are due by the end of the year, any interim report only on Godhra train burning incident can once again polarise the two communities and become political weapon in the hands of the political party, the Jan Sangharsh Manch plea to the Commission noted.

The two-judge commission comprising Justice GT Nanavati and Justice KG Shah said on Wednesday that they are not considering submission of any interim report until examination of all the evidences are over. “The issue of any interim report would be decided only after all evidences are examined and also after consultation with all the parties involved”, the ruling by the two-judge commission said.

Meanwhile, the probe panel today concluded recording of evidences from eleven districts, mostly in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, as no one came forward from these places. The judges ruled that the recording of evidences from these places may be deemed to be closed as there were no killings or any major incidents of violence in these eleven districts.

But, the Counsels of the Gujarat Government once again sought more time to file their response to the Jan Sangharsh Manch’s rejoinder to the government’s version of the incidents at Godhra on Feb 27, 2002. The Government Counsels are to appear before the Commission on April 4.

The Jan Sangharsh Manch has also submitted to the two-judge commission a copy of the report by the Antarik Visthapit Hak Rakshak Samiti on the thousands of families who are still living in relief colonies without much civic amenities.