Inquiries
Justice Tewatia’s Inquiry Commission in April 2002 established that the attack on the Sabarmati Express was preplanned and premeditated. The fire fighting system available in Godhra was weakened and its arrival at the place of incident willfully delayed by the mob with the open participation of a Congress Councillor, Haji Balal. The primary objective was to create Hindu-Muslim communal conflagration in India and cause unrest. The report concluded that the attack constituted a "concerted effort by jehadi forces to slow down ever-increasing importance of India in the world affairs." attributing this to the " unusual growth rate of Muslim population in Godhra" and also to the fact that "large number of unemployed Muslims in Godhra have mobile phones"
In September 2004, a one-member committee appointed by the Railway Ministry then headed by Lalu Prasad Yadav and consisting of former Supreme Court Justice Umesh Chandra Banerjee to probe the Godhra train fire, concluded that the fire was accidental. Its findings were challenged by Neelkanth Tulsidas Bhatia who was injured in Godhra carnage. In October 2006, the Gujarat High Court ruled that the panel was "unconstitutional, illegal and null and void", and declared its formation as a "colourable exercise of power with mala fide intentions".
On 6 March 2002, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi set up the Nanavati commission which investigated the violence and absolved him from any direct involvement in post train killing mayhem
Read more about this topic: Godhra Train Burning