According to J Mahapatra, additional director general of the Gujarat police, "miscreants had kept the petrol-soaked rags ready for use much before the train had arrived at Godhra". 59 people, including 27 women and 10 children, were burnt to death, and 48 others were injured. After some stone-pelting, four train coaches were set alight, trapping many people inside. Then, according to one narrative, the train was attacked by a mob of around 2,000 people. The driver of the train later stated that the chain had been pulled multiple times, judging by the instruments in his cabin. As the train started leaving the platform, someone pulled the emergency brake, and the train stopped near the signal point. On 27 February 2002, the train made its scheduled stop at Godhra about four hours late, at 7:43 am. On 25 February, 1,700 people, a mix of pilgrims and karsevaks boarded the Sabarmati Express, which was bound for Ahmedabad. In February 2002, thousands of devotees of Rama (known as "Ramsevaks" or " Kar Sevaks") had gone from Gujarat to Ayodhya at the behest of the Vishva Hindu Parishad to take part in a ceremony called the Purnahuti Maha Yagna. The incident is said to have taken place a short distance away. 27 February 2002 incident The platform at Godhra Junction. In October 2017, the Gujarat High Court upheld the convictions. In February 2011, the trial court convicted 31 Muslims for the burning, relying extensively on the Nanavati-Mehta Commission report as evidence. Scholars remain skeptical about the claims of arson. An independent investigation by a non-governmental organization also supported the theory of the burning being an accident. The Banerjee commission, instituted by the Ministry of Railways, characterized the fire as an accident in 2006: however, the Gujarat High Court found its appointment to be unconstitutional and quashed all findings. The Nanavati-Mehta commission, appointed by the state government in the immediate aftermath of the event, concluded in 2008 that the burning was a pre-planned arson committed by a thousand-strong Muslim mob. The Gujarat riots, in which Muslims were the targets of widespread and severe violence, occurred shortly afterward. The Godhra train burning occurred on the morning of 27 February 2002: 59 Hindu pilgrims and karsevaks returning from Ayodhya were killed in a fire inside the Sabarmati Express near the Godhra railway station in the Indian state of Gujarat. 2016–17 targeted killings in Punjab, India.
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