Godhra part of larger conspiracy: Govt

Ahmedabad, Feb 22 (UNI) The Gujarat government today claimed the extent of damage to the S6 coach of the Sabarmati Express indicated that inflammable liquid was used to burn it and reiterated that the Godhra incident was part of '' a larger conspiracy''.

Refuting the 'flash fire' theory forwarded by Rights body Jan Sangharsh Manch on the carnage, government Counsel Sunit Shah said,''it was not an accidentally triggered flashover fire, but a deliberately planned attack by a group of people.'' While concluding his submissions before the Nanavati Shah Commission, probing the February 27, 2002 incident and the riots that followed, Mr Shah said the extent of damage which was more on the rear side of the coach, showed that the inflammable liquid was used on that side.

''The pattern of burning (from the guard's cabin side to the engine side) also negated 'flashover fire' theory,'' he said.

He pointed to several instances of witnesses accounts to prove that the fire had started from the rear side of the coach.

He also debunked the Manch's contention that there was no second chain pulling that day and the train had dragged to a stop near Signal Falia as the chain alarm systems in one of the coaches had not been set right.

The sources asserted that the chain had been pulled for the second time, and quoted engine driver Rajendra Rao's submission that the train could n't move if vaccuum pipe in any one of the coaches was not set right.

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