In a severe indictment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Gujarat High Court yesterday said that Modi as CM didn’t initiate proper action to quell the post-Godra riots more than 15 years back.

An entire compartment of a running train (which had Kar Sewaks) was set on fire near Godra Railway Station in Gujarat resulting in 59 Kar Sewaks getting charred to death. The killings triggered retaliattory anti-Muslim attacks throughout Gujarat, resulting in riots wherein thousands of Muslims were killed and their properties looted. The State Govt. later appointed the Nanavati Commission to inquire into the riots.

A Special Court which dealt with the Godra rail carnage awarded life sentence for 20 persons while sentencing 11 to death for their involvement in the case.  However, it was still blamed by critics that 63 accused hadn’t been punished yet.  An appeal was filed with the Gujarat High Court against the Special Court’s verdict.  Taking up the appeal, the Court commuted the death sentence of 11 to ‘rigorous life imprisonment’.

It further wondered why the Railway Protection Force didn’t take pre-emptive action to avert the carnage and asked how miscreants were allowed to get into a moving train and set fire to a whole compartment.  The Court also pulled up Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that as the then chief-minister of Gujarat, he should have done better to control the post-Godra riots.

The Court also passed orders instructing the State Govt. to grant an ex-gratia of Rs.10 lakhs to the families of each of the Kar Sewaks killed in the tragedy.