NEW DELHI: The Justice G.T. Nanavati Commission report that absolved Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarat government of any foul play in the Gujarat carnage has been termed partial.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has described reports of the Nanavati Commission and that of Justice U.C. Banerjee’s Commission as “partial.”
Insisting that such government-constituted panels had no independence, NHRC Chairperson Justice S. Rajendra Babu said yesterday: “Both Nanavati and Banerjee gave partial reports.”
Nanavati Commission, in its report about the Sabarmati Express burning incident, that left 58 Hindus dead, said: “There is absolutely no evidence that Chief Minister Narendra Modi or any of the ministers or police officer played any role in the Godhra incident.”
The report also said that this incident “was a pre-planned conspiracy” hatched at Aman Guest House in Godhra.
The Banerjee Commission, set up by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in September 2004, said in its report submitted in 2005, that the burning of the coach was an accident and the fire began within the coach itself.
When his comments were sought on Nanavati Commission terming the Sabarmati Express fire as “pre-planned,” Banerjee replied: “I have given my report that it was an accidental fire.”
Describing both reports as “partial,” NHRC chairperson said: “They (the government-appointed commissions) are not independent. Lots of problems and difficulties are there.”
The Godhra train fire was a “rare case,” which led to a communal violence in Gujarat, leading to death of thousands of people and destruction of properties, Babu said: “In such cases partial reports are not released.”
“Elections are near. I do not want to politicize the issue. We have to look into it from an independent angle and impartial manner so that nobody should feel that we have ignored anyone and sided with anyone,” Babu said.
Nanavati Commission is to submit the second part of its report — covering the subsequent riots in Gujarat — by Dec. 31, 2008.
The first part of the report also says there is no evidence of there being on part of state government “any lapse in providing protection, relief and rehabilitation to victims of the communal riots and in the matter of not complying with the recommendations and direction given by the NHRC.”
In the opinion of Justice J.S. Verma, who headed the NHRC during the Gujarat carnage: “It (Nanavati report) is not correct and, in fact, far from the truth that the Gujarat state government adhered to NHRC reports and recommendations.”
It may be recalled that the NHRC had said in April 2002 after visiting Gujarat: “The Commission is constrained to observe that a serious failure of intelligence and action by the state government marked the events leading to the Godhra tragedy and the subsequent deaths and destruction that occurred.”
Besides, the study conducted by Gujarat’s Forensic Science Laboratory also concluded that the inflammable liquid that caused the fire in Sabarmati Express was spread from inside, not outside, the coach.
