Author: Shai Venkataraman
Publication: NDTV News
Date: March 4, 2002
The police in Gujarat claim that
they have evidence to indicate that people outside the city were also involved
in the February 27 attack on the Sabarmati Express.
Officials of the state's anti-terrorist
squad have joined the police investigation to uncover the larger picture.
Five accused remanded
The five accused in the Godhra mayhem
case, including Mohammad Hussain Kalota, President of the Godhra Nagar
Palika and convenor of the city Congress minority cell, were remanded to
ten days police custody today.
Kalota and other accused Siraj Jamsa,
Zabir Kala, Abdul Sheikh and Abdul Rauf Yayman were picked up yesterday
by the anti-dacoity squad of the city police from Polan Bazar area during
a combing operation.
They were produced before Chief
Judicial Magistrate of Godhra N P Naik, who remanded them to police custody
till March 13.
Twenty-seven people have been arrested
so far in connection with the incident. Three of them belong to the Congress.
Police officials alleged that Kalota
was the mastermind behind the incident. According to eyewitness accounts,
Kalota was present at the scene from the beginning to the end and was seen
goading the mob.
Anti-terrorist squad officials also
say that the local police have confidential reports on Kalota indicating
his involvement in past communal riots in the city.
Indications of ISI involvement
The police is also probing the involvement
of Pakistan's ISI in the massacre. The say that the people arrested in
connection with the attack travelled abroad recently.
Vipul Vijay, DIG, Anti-Terrorist
Squad, Gujarat, referred to the possibility of ISI's involvement in the
attack but refused to give details.
According to Vijay, "We have certain
names. They are names of very prosperous people who travel abroad. They
are people with connections and false passports. We will be pursuing them
with vigour and will not depend on the local police in our pursuit."
Congress councillors apprehended
Two councillors, Salim Shaikh and
Abdul Dantia also from the Congress are in police custody for their involvement
in the carnage. Dantia and Shaikh also played an active role in the 1980-81
communal riots in Godhra.
Two other Congress councilors, Farukh
Bhana and Bilal Haji are however absconding.
NDTV has learnt that Bilal Haji
owned four passports under different names. Local fire officials say that
Bilal Haji prevented them from reaching the scene of the Sabarmati train
mayhem on time.
Local Congress refutes allegation
The local Congress however insists
the accused have nothing to do with the party. Ajit Singh Bhatti, President,
Youth Congress, Godhra, remarked, "They fought elections on their own.
They are not part of us."
The Congress leadership in Gandhinagar
has also prepared a report that claims the incident was provoked by kar
sevaks who were shouting slogans from Ratnam to Godhra.
Violence in Dahod
Meanwhile, violence has been reported
from the adjoining places including Dahod district. Two religious leaders
of a minority community were killed at Godasar and a place of prayer damaged.
Police also recovered eight bodies,
of four children and four women from Kesharpur village from Limakheda taluka.
Thirteen rounds each were fired by the police at Santrampur and Rameshra
towns of Panchmahal district (Godhra is its taluka headquarters) following
a sudden spurt of violence there.
Eight persons were hurt in the violence
at Santrampur and one killed in police firing while four shops were looted
and later burnt at Rameshra. (With PTI inputs)
