BJP welcomes verdict in Gohdra train burning case

BJP welcomed the Gujarat special court verdict convicting 31 accused in the 2002 Godhra train burning case and said it had "exposed the nefarious designs" of the UPA government which "tried to cover up" the entire episode.

New Delhi: BJP on Tuesday welcomed the Gujarat
special court verdict convicting 31 accused in the 2002 Godhra
train burning case and said it had "exposed the nefarious
designs" of the UPA government which "tried to cover up" the
entire episode.

"Certainly, there has been a degree of assurance that law
and justice has prevailed. There were elements who were trying
to belittle it. There have been politicians who tried to abuse
it," BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad told reporters.

He slammed the Justice UC Banerjee Committee report,
which found that the fire was lit from inside the coach.

The Banerjee Committee, appointed by then Railway
Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to probe the causes of fire in the
Sabarmati Express in Godhra, had found that the fire was
"accidental".

"You remember the Banerjee commission report. A retired
judge of Supreme Court gave a collusive report that the fire
was lit from inside," Prasad told reporters outside
Parliament.

"It was a sham report at the time of 2005 elections," he
added.

Asked about the acquittal of one of the prime accused
Maulana Umraji, Prasad said, "Conspiracy has been
established."

Reacting to the judgement, BJP spokesperson Tarun Vijay
said, "This has exposed the nefarious designs of the UPA
government which tried to cover up the entire ghastly
episode."

Alleging that the UPA government tried to put the blame
on the victims themselves, he said, "But we welcome that
culprits have been given punishments."

"It has exposed the so-called secularists including Lalu,
UPA government which had set up a fake inquiry under a retired
SC judge, which put the blame on victims themselves. This
verdict has to be welcomed initially," he said.

31 people were convicted by a special court in the 2002
Godhra train burning incident that left 59 people dead and
triggered violence in Gujarat that had claimed the lives of
over 1200 people, mainly Muslims.

PTI

Zee News App: Read latest news of India and world, bollywood news, business updates, cricket scores, etc. Download the Zee news app now to keep up with daily breaking news and live news event coverage.