Godhra: no flash fire, but pre-planned conspiracy; Guj Govt

Ahmedabad, Feb 3 (UNI) The Gujarat government today denounced the ''flash fire'' theory forwarded by the Jan Sangharsh Manch to explain the Sabarmati Express fire incident of February 2002 before the Nanavati-Shah Commission, and reiterated that the torching of the coach was the result of a ''pre-planned conspiracy''.

Presenting the government's case before the panel, which is probing the carnage and the riots that followed in its aftermath, senior counsel Sumit Shah submitted that burning of S6 coach ''could not be under any circumstances because of a flash fire''.

Giving a power-point presentation, he stressed that for a flash fire to break out, it needed a confined space. ''If the area was a confined space and the heat energy generated was not released, it could lead to a flash fire. However, as the compartment was not airtight and confined, there was no possibility of a backdraft or smoke explosion.'' Earlier, Jan Sangharsh Manch advocate Mukul Sinha had said the fire that broke could have been a case of flash fire. He had pointed to ''loopholes'' in the Gujarat government's conspiracy theory, saying there was no evidence to prove that a conspiracy was hatched to target kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya.

Except for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, nobody else had knowledge about kar sevaks' return. There was no intelligence input from agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation, state intelligence bureau or police in Godhra about the movement of kar sevaks, he had pointed out.

The arguments of the Government counsel remained inconclusive today and will continue on February 9, the next date of hearing.

UNI