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{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox Civil Conflict
| title = 2002 Gujarat violence
| partof =
| image = [[File:Ahmedabad riots1.jpg|300px]]
| caption = The skyline of [[Ahmedabad]] filled with smoke as buildings and shops are set on fire by rioting mobs
| date = {{Start date|2002|02|27|df=y}}–<br />Mid-June 2002
| place = [[Gujarat]], [[India]]
| coordinates =
| causes = [[Godhra train burning|Godhra train attack]]
| status =
| goals =
| result =
| methods =
| side1 =
| side2 =
| side3 =
| leadfigures1 =
| leadfigures2 =
| leadfigures3 =
| howmany1 =
| howmany2 =
| howmany3 =
| casualties1 = 790 Muslims<ref name="790_254_humans"/>
| casualties2 = 254 Hindus<ref name="790_254_humans"/>
| casualties3 =
| casualties_label =
| notes =
}}

The '''2002 Gujarat violence''' was a series of incidents starting with the [[Godhra train burning]] and the subsequent [[Communalism (South Asia)|communal]] violence between [[Hindus]] and [[Muslims]] in the [[India]]n state of [[Gujarat]]. On 27 February 2002, the [[Sabarmati Express]] train was attacked at [[Godhra]] by a Muslim mob.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12534127 India Godhra train blaze verdict: 31 convicted] BBC News, 22 February 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1513008.ece It was not a random attack on S-6 but kar sevaks were targeted, says judge] The Hindu&nbsp;— March 6, 2011</ref><ref name="India 2008">[http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToPrint_TOI&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=TOIM/2008/09/27&ID=Ar01400 The Godhra conspiracy as Justice Nanavati saw it] The Times of India, 28 September 2008. Retrieved 2012-02-19. [http://www.webcitation.org/65dKF3wm3 Archived] 21 February 2012.</ref><ref name="court-confirms-conspiracy">[http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-nine-years-after-godhra-carnage-verdict-today/20110222.htm Godhra case: 31 guilty; court confirms conspiracy] rediff.com, 22 February 2011 19:26 IST. Sheela Bhatt, Ahmedabad.</ref> 58 Hindu pilgrims returning from [[Ayodhya]] were killed in the attack. This in turn prompted retaliatory attacks against Muslims and general communal riots on a large scale across the state, in which 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were ultimately killed and 223 more people were reported missing.<ref name="790_254_humans">{{cite news|url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1106699.cms|title= 790 Muslims, 254 Hindus perished in post-Godhra|date= 11 May 2005|work=Times of India |location=India | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4543177.stm|title= 790 Muslims, 254 Hindus perished in post-Godhra|date= 13 May 2005|publisher=BBC News | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> 523 places of worship were damaged: 298 [[dargah]]s, 205 [[mosque]]s, 17 temples, and 3 churches. Muslim-owned businesses suffered the bulk of the damage. 61,000 Muslims and 10,000 Hindus fled their homes. Preventive arrests of 17,947 Hindus and 3,616 Muslims were made. In total 27,901 Hindus and 7,651 Muslims were arrested.<ref name="home.gujarat.gov.in">[http://home.gujarat.gov.in/homedepartment/downloads/godharaincident.pdf] Gujarat Govt website document.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Post-Godhra toll: 254 Hindus, 790 Muslims' |url=http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=46538|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5k5tikm5X|archivedate=27 September 2009|deadurl=no|accessdate=25 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=rediff.com: Vajpayee to visit two relief camps in Ahmedabad |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/apr/03train3.htm|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5k5tl5boM|archivedate=27 September 2009|deadurl=no|accessdate=25 September 2009}}</ref>

The nature of these events remains politically controversial in India. Some commentators have characterised the deaths of Hindus and Muslims as a [[genocide]] in which the state was complicit,<ref>Allan D. Cooper. ''The Geography of Genocide''. 2009, page 183-4</ref> while others have countered that the hundreds of Muslim and Hindu dead were all victims of [[riots]] or "violent disturbances".<ref>T. K. Oommen ''Reconciliation in post-Godhra Gujarat: the role of civil society''. 2008, page 71</ref>

==Godhra train burning, investigations and judgements==
{{Main|Godhra train burning}}
On 27 February 2002, 58 Hindus including 25 women and 15 children, Hindu pilgrims ([[Kar Sevak]]s) returning by the Sabarmathi express train from Ayodhya,<ref>{{cite news|first=Siddharth|last= Varadarajan|title=The truth about Godhra|work=The Hindu|date=23 January 2005|url= http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/23/stories/2005012303901400.htm|location=Chennai, India|accessdate=4 February 2011<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> were burnt alive in a railway coach by a large Muslim mob.<ref name="India 2008"/><ref name=court-confirms-conspiracy/> in a conspiracy.<ref name=court-confirms-conspiracy/> This violence erupted because of the abduction of a young girl, who was daughter of a Muslim tea vendor at Godhra railway station<ref>http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Godhra+carnage+a+conspiracy:+Nanavati+report/1/16270.html</ref>

Initial media reports blamed the local Muslims for setting the coach on fire.<ref>{{cite news|title=Call for calm after Indian train attack|publisher=CNN|date=27 February 2002|url= http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/02/27/india.train.1000/index.html|accessdate=4 February 2011<!--DASHBot-->}} {{cite news|title=Scores killed in India train attack|publisher=BBC News Online|date=27 February 2002|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1843591.stm|accessdate=4 February 2011<!--DASHBot-->}}{{cite news|title=Shoot-at-sight orders, curfew in Godhra|publisher=Times of India|date=27 February 2002|url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2256789,prtpage-1.cms|first=One|last=Killed|accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> The Nanavati Report found that the Attack on the "Kar Sevaks" on the train from Ayodhya was pre-planned, and exonerated Modi.<ref>{{cite web|title=Godhra report tabled, Narendra Modi gets clean chit|publisher=Indian Server|month=September|year=2008|url=http://www.india-server.com/news/nanavati-report-gives-clean-chit-to-3999.html|accessdate=4 February 2011<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> A previous report on the Godhra train burning, filed by Justice Banerjee, a more recent report filed by Justice Nanavati states that it was "pre-planned" by the mob. The [[Gujarat High Court]] ruling, as of 2006, has declared as illegal and unconstitutional, setting up of the Umesh Chandra Banerjee committee, which had concluded the fire started by accident. Gujarat High Court quashed the conclusions of the Banerjee Committee and declared its formation as a "colourful exercise," "illegal, unconstitutional, null and void," and its argument of accidental fire "opposed to the prima facie accepted facts on record.".<ref>[http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=75485 Banerjee panel illegal: Gujarat HC] Indian Express – 13 October 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/14/stories/2006101405431200.htm Bannerjee Committee illegal: High Court] [[The Hindu]] – 14 October 2006</ref>
.<ref name="India 2008"/> Going further, the report claims that one Hassan Lalu had thrown burning objects into the train and 140 litres of petrol had been used to set the train on fire, adding that stones were thrown at passengers to stop them from fleeing.

Nine years after the Godhra train went up in flames the court on 22 February 2011 pronounced its judgement. Additional Session Judge delivered the verdict and convicted 31 Muslims and acquitted 63.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/godhra-verdict-strengthened-confidence-in-judiciary/articleshow/7548317.cms|work=The Times Of India|location=India|title=Politics/Nation|date=22 February 2011| accessdate=22 February 2011<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sabarmati_Express_fire_was_pre-planned/articleshow/3526816.cms Sabarmati Express fire was pre-planned: Godhra report] Times of India – 26 September 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080066669&ch=25 September 2008%203:22:00%20PM Godhra case: Nanavati panel gives clean chit to Modi] NDTV – 25 September 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2009 [http://www.webcitation.org/5gpCxLhh7 Archived] 16 May 2009.</ref> The bodies of those killed in the train were brought to Ahmedabad, where a procession was held,<ref>{{cite news|title=Godhra panel: Plea to summon Modi|date=1 September 2007 |work=Deccan Herald|location=India|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Sep12007/national2007090122743.asp|archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20090122121045/http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Sep12007/national2007090122743.asp|archivedate= 22 January 2009|deadurl=yes}}</ref> a move seen as a major provocation for the ensuing communal violence.<ref>{{cite news| title=Modi wanted Godhra bodies to come to A'bad|work=Times of India|location=India|date=22 August 2004|url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/823338.cms|accessdate=4 February 2011<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> The VHP issued a call for a state-wide strike on 28 February 2002, which was supported by the BJP.<ref>{{cite news|title=VHP-sponsored bandh begins in Gujarat; one killed in Baroda| publisher=Rediff News|date=28 February 2002|url= http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/feb/28train1.htm|accessdate=4 February 2011<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref name="NYT-27-july-2002">{{cite news|title=Religious Riots Loom Over Indian Politics|author=Celia W. Dugger|work=New York Times|date=27 July 2002|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E2DF163BF934A15754C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> In February 2011, the findings of the Nanavati-Mehta commission were upheld in court, and the Godhra train burning was called a "pre-planned conspiracy". 31 people were convicted of setting fire to the train and "roasting alive 59 helpless kar sevaks."<ref>[http://www.dailypioneer.com/319823/%E2%80%98Carnage-was-pre-planned%E2%80%99.html ‘Carnage was pre-planned’] Daily Pioneer – 23 February 2011{{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref> of which 11 were sentenced to death and 20 to life sentences.<ref>[http://ibnlive.in.com/news/godhra-11-get-death-20-life-parties-to-move-hc/144796-3.html Godhra: 11 get death, 20 life; parties to move HC] IBN – 1 March 2011</ref>

==Post Godhra violence==
Tension gripped parts of Gujarat state while examinations all over the state were cancelled. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had called for a statewide bandh to protest the Godhra train burning. Fearing communal clashes the administration imposed a curfew in several areas. Rapid Action Force were deployed in Godhra's sensitive area and around Godhra station.<ref>[http://in.rediff.com/news/2002/feb/28sheela.htm Mob sets fire to Wakf board office in Gujarat secretariat], Sheela Bhatt, 28 February 2002, Godhra</ref> On 1 March the Indian government dispatched around 1,000 paramilitary personnel to Gujarat and asked the army to be on standby to maintain law and order in the state. The Army began flag marches in the worst-affected areas and shoot-at-sight orders were issued in 34 curfew-bound cities and towns in Gujarat.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2002/03/02/stories/2002030203050100.htm | location=Chennai, India |work=The Hindu | title=Shoot orders in many Gujarat towns, toll over 200 | date=2 March 2002| accessdate=10 May 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

151 towns and 993 villages<ref name="Oommen-2005">Figure reported by the Gujarat additional director general of police to the Election Commission, {{Cite journal | title = Crisis and Contention in Indian Society | author = T K Oommen |publisher = Sage Publications | year = 2005 | pages = 120 | postscript = }}</ref> in fifteen to sixteen of the state's 25 districts were affected by the post-Godhra violence, which was particularly severe in about five or six districts. The violence raged largely between 28 February and 3 March, and after a drop, restarted on 15 March, continuing till mid June.<ref name="Brass-2005">{{cite book | title = The Production Of Hindu-muslim Violence In Contemporary India | author = Paul R. Brass | publisher = University of Washington Press | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-0-295-98506-0 | pages = 385–393}}</ref> Northern and central Gujarat, as well as the [[north-eastern tribal belt]] which are closer to Godhra City, were the worst affected while [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] and [[Kutch]] remained largely peaceful.<ref name="Oommen-2005" />

===Attacks on Muslims===
{{refimprove|section|date=February 2013}}
Attacks by large Hindu mobs began in the districts of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Saberkantha and, for the first time in its history, Gandhinagar on 28 February. Violence spread to the largely rural districts of Panchmahals, Mehsana, Hansot, Kheda, Junagadh, Banaskantha, Patan, Anand and Narmada the next day. Over the next two days, Bharuch and Rajkot and later Surat were hit.<ref name="Jaffrelot-2003">{{Cite journal | title = Communal Riots in Gujarat: The State at Risk? | author = Christophe Jaffrelot | journal = Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics | publisher = South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg|date=July 2003 | url = http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/volltexte/2003/4127/pdf/hpsacp17.pdf |format=PDF | issue = 17 | postscript = | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

The first incidents of attacks on the Muslim community started at Ahmedabad, where Hindus began throwing stones at and later burned a Muslim housing complex known as Gulburg Society, and then spread elsewhere.<ref name="Dugger 200">Dugger, Celia W. ''2000 Are Dead In 3-Day Riot Of Revenge In West India [[New York Times]]''. New York, N.Y.:2 March 2002. p. A1</ref> The initial violence was believed to be instigated by unsubstantiated rumours, endorsed by a senior VHP leader, of Muslims having kidnapped three Hindu girls during the Godhra train attack.<ref name="Dugger 200"/>

In Ahmedabad, the [[dargah]] of the Sufi saint-poet [[Wali Gujarati]] in Shahibaug and the 16th century [[Gumte Masjid]] mosque in Isanpur were destroyed. The Muhafiz Khan Masjid at Gheekanta was ransacked.<ref>{{cite web | chapter = OVERVIEW OF THE ATTACKS AGAINST MUSLIMS | title = "We Have No Orders To Save You" – State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat | author = Smita Narula | publisher = Human Rights Watch |month=April | year=2002 | url = http://hrw.org/reports/2002/india/India0402-03.htm#P597_107979| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}, {{cite news | title = Mob used bulldozer to raze heritage mosque | publisher = Indian Exress |date=13 March 2002 | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/india-news/ie20020314/top7.html| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> Police records list 298 dargahs, 205 mosques, 17 temples and three churches as damaged in the months of March and April.<ref name="TOI-28-Apr-2002">{{cite news | title = More fall prey to police firings in Gujarat | author = Sanjay Pandey |work=Times of India |location=India |date=28 April 2002 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/8283550.cms| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

According to Human Rights Watch Report, May 2002 ( http://www.hrw.org/news/2002/04/29/india-gujarat-officials-took-part-anti-muslim-violence) State officials of Gujarat, India were directly involved in the killings of hundreds of Muslims since February 27 and then commenced engineering a massive cover-up of the state's role in the violence.

"What happened in Gujarat was not a spontaneous uprising, it was a carefully orchestrated attack against Muslims," said Smita Narula, senior South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch and author of the report. "The attacks were planned in advance and organized with extensive participation of the police and state government officials."

The police were directly implicated in nearly all the attacks against Muslims that are documented in the 75-page report, 'We Have No Orders to Save You': State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat. In some cases they were merely passive observers. But in many instances, police officials led the charge of murderous mobs, aiming and firing at Muslims who got in the way.

Under the guise of offering assistance, some police officers led the victims directly into the hands of their killers. Panicked phone calls made to the police, fire brigades, and even ambulance services generally proved futile. Several witnesses reported being told by police: "We have no orders to save you."

Three weeks after the initial attacks, Human Rights Watch visited Ahmedabad, a site of large-scale destruction, murder, and several massacres, and spoke to both Hindu and Muslim survivors of the attacks. The report also provides testimony on retaliatory attacks against Hindus, which Human Rights Watch strongly condemned.

More than 850 people have been killed in the Western state of Gujarat in the past two months, most of them Muslims. Unofficial estimates have put the death toll as high as 2,000. The violence began on February 27 after a Muslim mob in the town of Godhra attacked and set fire to two carriages of a train carrying Hindu activists. Fifty-eight people were killed.

Starting February 28, 2002, a three-day retaliatory killing spree by Hindus left hundreds dead and tens of thousands homeless and dispossessed. The looting and burning of Muslim homes, businesses, and places of worship was also widespread. Muslim girls and women were brutally raped. Mass graves have been dug throughout the state. Gravediggers told Human Rights Watch that bodies keep arriving, burnt and mutilated beyond recognition.

Burnt Muslim shops and restaurants dot the main roads and highways in Ahmedabad. Neighboring Hindu establishments remain notably unscathed.

Between February 28 and March 2, thousands of attackers descended on Muslim neighborhoods, clad in saffron scarves and khaki shorts, the signature uniform of Hindu nationalist groups, and armed with swords, sophisticated explosives, and gas cylinders. They were guided by voter lists and printouts of addresses of Muslim-owned properties-information obtained from the local municipality. In the weeks following the attacks, Hindu homes and businesses were also destroyed in retaliatory attacks by Muslims.

The groups most directly involved in the violence against Muslims include the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council, VHP), the Bajrang Dal, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that heads the Gujarat state government. Collectively, they are known as the sangh parivar, or family of Hindu nationalist organizations.

The Gujarat state administration has been engaged in a massive cover-up of the state's role in the massacres and that of the sangh parivar. Numerous police reports filed by eyewitnesses after the attacks have specifically named local VHP, BJP, and Bajrang Dal leaders as instigators or participants in the violence. The police, reportedly under instructions from the state, face continuous pressure not to arrest them or to reduce the severity of the charges filed. Top police officials who sought to protect Muslims have been removed from positions of command.

"This is a crisis of impunity," said Narula. "If charges against members of these groups are not investigated and prosecuted accordingly, violence may continue to engulf the state, and may even spread to other parts of the country."

The violence in Gujarat has triggered national outrage and has been strongly condemned by political parties, the National Human Rights Commission, the Indian prime minister, and civil society at large. Both the Godhra massacre and the attacks that ensued have been documented in meticulous detail by Indian human rights and civil liberties groups and by the Indian press.

"After two months of violence, the international community is now waking up and needs to respond," said Narula.

Government figures indicate that more than 98,000 people, an overwhelming majority of them Muslim, are residing in more than one hundred relief camps throughout the state. The state government has failed to provide adequate and timely humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons in Gujarat. Relief camps visited by Human Rights Watch were in desperate need of more government and international assistance. One camp with 6,000 residents was located on the site of a Muslim graveyard. Residents were literally sleeping in the open, between the graves.

Assistance from international humanitarian and United Nations agencies is urgently needed for Hindus and Muslims in relief camps, Human Rights Watch said. It urged the Indian government to actively seek the assistance of international agencies and to invite United Nations human rights experts to investigate state and police participation in the violence in Gujarat.<ref>http://www.hrw.org/news/2002/04/29/india-gujarat-officials-took-part-anti-muslim-violence</ref>

===Attacks on Hindus===
Attacks on Hindus in Danilimda, Modasa, Himmatnagar, Bharuch, Sindhi Market, Bhanderi Pole, and other localities in the city of [[Ahmedabad]] in Gujarat were perpetrated by Muslim mobs.<ref name="HRW Hindu attacks">[http://hrw.org/reports/2002/india/India0402-04.htm Attacks on Hindus],''Human Rights Watch''</ref> There was a significant loss of property.<ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?art_ID=4007683 Riots hit all classes, people of all faith]</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= A home for long now just a death trap|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/full_story.php?content_id=2401|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5iUu3rWHk|archivedate=23 July 2009|deadurl=no|accessdate=21 July 2009}}</ref>
Late in March, more than one hundred Hindus in Dariyapur and Kalupur, including 55 [[dalits]], fled their homes to stay in makeshift shelters after being attacked by Muslims mobs.<ref>[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=16851 With no relief, they turn to religious places for shelter],''Indian Express''. Retrieved 2009-07-21. [http://www.webcitation.org/5iUuAgS4i Archived] 23 July 2009.</ref>

Several Hindu residential areas, including Mahajan No Vaado, a fortified enclave in Muslim dominated Jamalpur, were targeted following calls for retaliation.

<blockquote>In the morning the mosques began announcing that Islam was in danger, that there was poison in the milk. This was used as a code word. The milk was meant to be Muslims & poison meant Hindus. The rioting lasted between 2:15&nbsp;p.m. and 5:30&nbsp;p.m.<ref name="HRW Hindu attacks"/></blockquote>

Residents were unable to go to work, fearing attacks. A Hindu temple in the area was destroyed. In Himmatnagar, a young man was killed when he went to a Muslim enclave on business.<ref name="HRW Hindu attacks"/>

==Toll==
According to an official estimate, 1044 people were killed in the violence – 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus including those killed in the Godhra train fire. Another 223 people were reported missing, 2,548 injured, 919 women widowed and 606 children orphaned.<ref>These figures were reported to the Rajya Sabha by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal in May 2005. {{cite news | title = Gujarat riot death toll revealed |publisher=BBC News |date=11 May 2005| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4536199.stm|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20090226131020/http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html |archivedate = 26 February 2009|deadurl=yes}} {{cite news | title = BJP cites govt statistics to defend Modi | author = PTI | publisher = ExpressIndia |date=12 May 2005 | url = http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=46626 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20090226131020/http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html |archivedate = 26 February 2009|deadurl=yes}} {{cite news | title = 254 Hindus, 790 Muslims killed in post-Godhra riots | author = PTI | publisher = Indiainfo.com |date=11 May 2005 | url = http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20090226131020/http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html |archivedate = 26 February 2009|deadurl=yes}}</ref>

Unofficial estimates put the death toll closer to 2000.<ref>{{cite web | title = We Have No Orders To Save You | chapter = Summary | publisher = Human Rights Watch |date=30 April 2002| url = http://hrw.org/reports/2002/india/India0402.htm#P106_4953| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}, {{cite news | title = UK reads the riot act to Narendra Modi | publisher = Indiatimes |date=22 March 2005 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1058718.cms | first1=Percy | last1=Fernandez| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}, Brass (2005) pp. 388,</ref>

When missing people were declared dead after 7 years, total deaths went up from 1044 to 1,267.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Gujarat-riot-missing-declared-dead/articleshow/4207101.cms |work=The Times Of India |location=India | first1=Saeed | last1=Khan | title=Gujarat riot 'missing' declared dead | date=1 March 2009| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Gujarat-riots-toll-to-go-up-from-952-to-1180/articleshow/4133625.cms |work=The Times Of India |location=India | first1=Leena | last1=Misra | title=Gujarat riots toll to go up from 952 to 1,180 | date=16 February 2009| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

==Security failure==
By the evening of 28 February, curfews were imposed in twenty seven towns and cities.<ref>Oommen (2005), pp. 120</ref> By 25 March, thirty five towns were under curfew.<ref>{{cite news | title = Where is normalcy? Curfew still on
|work=Times of India |location=India |date=25 March 2002 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4890299.cms | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> Police records show 21,563 preventive arrests were made by the end of April (17,947 of the arrested were listed as Hindus and 3,616 as Muslims) as well as 13,989 substantive arrests (9,954 Hindus and 4,035 Muslims).

''The New York Times''' Celia Dugger reported that witnesses were "dismayed by the lack of intervention from local police", who often "watched the events taking place and took no action against the attacks on Muslims and their property".<ref name="Dugger 60">Dugger, Celia W. ''Hindu Rioters Kill 60 Muslims in India [[New York Times]]''. New York, N.Y.:1 March 2002.</ref>
Human Rights Watch reported that in some cases members of the state police force led rioting mobs, "aiming and firing at every Muslim who got in the way", or instead of offering assistance "led the victims directly into the hands of their killers."<ref name="Dawn1">[http://www.dawn.com/2002/04/30/top6.htm Police officials led Hindu attackers: HRW report on Muslims’ massacre in Gujarat], ''Dawn'', 30 April 2002</ref> Calls for assistance to the police, fire brigades, and even ambulance services generally proved futile.<ref name="Dawn1"/>

[[Times of India]] claimed that 93 Muslims were killed in Police firing and only 77 Hindus, however Gujarat Police and BJP claimed that majority of 198 Hindus(excluding 59 killed in Godhra) killed were due to the Police firing and not in riots.

Hindu residents of Mahajan No Vaado, part of the Muslim dominated area of Jamalpur, told HRW that on 1 March, the police ignored phone calls and left them fend for themselves when a Muslim mob attacked.<ref name="HRW Hindu attacks"/> Numerous calls by Hindus throughout the riots were reportedly ignored by the police.<ref name="HRW Hindu attacks"/>

One thousand army troops were flown in by the evening of 1 March to restore order. Intelligence officials alleged that the deployment was deliberately delayed by the state and central governments.<ref>{{cite news | title = Soldiers 'held back to allow Hindus revenge' | author = Rahul Bedi | publisher = The Telegraph |date=4 March 2002 | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/03/04/whind04.xml | location=London| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> On 3 May, former Punjab police chief [[Kanwar Pal Singh Gill|K P S Gill]] was appointed as security adviser to the Chief Minister.<ref>{{cite news | title = Gill is Modi’s Security Adviser |work=The Tribune |location=India |date=2 May 2002 | url = http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020503/main4.htm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

The Gujarat government transferred several senior police officers who had taken active measures to contain and investigate violent attacks to administrative positions.<ref name="NYT-27-july-2002"/><ref>{{cite news | title = Disquiet among Gujarat police | author = Kingshuk Nag |work=Times of India |location=India |date=29 April 2002 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/8396453.cms | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Modi Punishes good officers| publisher = Ahmedabad.com (Republished from The Asian Age) |date=26 March 2002 | url = http://www.ahmedabad.com/news/2k2/mar/26modi.htm|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080327225148/http://www.ahmedabad.com/news/2k2/mar/26modi.htm |archivedate = 27 March 2008|deadurl=yes}}</ref>

RB Sreekumar, who served as Gujarat's intelligence chief during the riots, alleged that the state government issued "unconstitutional directives", with officials asking him to kill Muslims involved in rioting or disrupting a Hindu religious event. The Gujarat government denied the allegations, calling them "baseless" and instigated out of malice because Mr. Sreekumar was not promoted.<ref name="BBCUK">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4445107.stm BBC UK Website]</ref>

Defending the Modi administration in the Rajya Sabha against charges of genocide, BJP spokesman V K Malhotra said that the official toll of 254 Hindus, killed mostly in police firing, indicates how the state authorities took effective steps to curb the violence.<ref>[http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=46626 BJP cites govt statistics to defend Modi]</ref> BJP MP and journalist [[Balbir Punj]] disputed allegations of bias against Muslims by the BJP-run state government, pointing out that the majority of those arrested during and after the riots were Hindus.<ref name="punj-mea">[http://mea.gov.in/opinion/2002/04/25o01.htm Truth in Gujarat] by [[Balbir Punj]] {{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref>

An unidentified pamphlet circulated to journalists in Gujarat in 2007 labelled Modi's government as [[anti-Hindu]] for arresting [[Vishwa Hindu Parishad]] (VHP) workers and Hindu activists involved in the riots.<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/story/247974.html Modi vs BJP] The Indian Express – 8 December 2007</ref>

The recent report of [[Supreme Court]] appointed Special Investigation Team led by former [[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] Chief R.K Raghavan gave clean chit to Gujarat government and noticed that [[Gujarat Police]] tried everything to prevent the riots.<ref name=ibnl>[http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gujarat-riots-teestas-plea-for-report-rejected/271651-3-238.html Gujarat riots: Teesta Setalvad's plea for SIT report rejected]</ref>

On Narendra Modi's role the Special Investigation Team report states,<ref name=ibnl />
{{cquote|Law and order review meetings were held by Modi and all the things was done to control the situation... the Army was called on time to contain the communal violence.

Modi was busy with steps to control the situation, establishment of relief camps for riot victims and also with efforts to restore peace and normalcy.

In view of the detailed inquiry and satisfactory explanation of the person involved, no criminal case is made out against Narendra Modi.}}

==Role of government and police==
Sabarmati Express train was attacked within the premises of Godhra Railway Yard. At the time of attack, 14 policemen were on duty at Godhra Railway Yard. Railway Police Station is about 826 meters away from spot of attack. Three Railway Police Force Constables were the first responders. They fired 4 rounds from their [[.303 British|.303]] rifles to disperse the crowd. Firefighter Sureshgiri Mohangiri Gosai testified that Godhra Municipal Councilor Haji Bilal incited the mob to stop the fire engine. Thereupon some persons in the mob had thrown stones at the fire engine. He has further stated that while they were trying to extinguish the fire, stones were pelted on the train. The first response team of Godhra Police Mobile Van testified that Godhra Municipal President Mohamad Kalota and municipal councillor Haji Bilal were in the mob and they were inciting the Muslims.<ref>http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/27godhra.pdf</ref>

The Gujarat state government was reprimanded immediately for failing to prevent the riots, but then increasingly for actively fomenting and participating in it, which was a far more serious charge. Critiques came repeatedly from the Supreme Court, and the [[Rajya Sabha|upper house]] of the Indian parliament unanimously passed a resolution calling for federal intervention in Gujarat; a similar censure motion in the [[Lok Sabha|lower]] house was defeated by about 100 votes.<ref>{{cite news | title = Indian MPs back Gujarat motion |publisher=BBC News|date=6 May 2002 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/1970415.stm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

The [[United States Department of State]] in its International Religious Freedom Report 2003 commented on the episode,<ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/24470.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2003]. By the [[United States Department of State]]. Retrieved 19 April 2007.</ref> based on a report by [[USCIRF]]:

{{bquote|"India's [[National Human Rights Commission of India|National Human Rights Commission]] (NHRC), an official body, found evidence in the killings of premeditation by members of Hindu extremist groups; complicity by Gujarat state government officials; and police inaction in the midst of attacks. The NHRC also noted "widespread reports and allegations of well-organized persons, armed with mobile telephones and addresses, singling out certain homes and properties for death and destruction in certain districts-sometimes within view of police stations and personnel," suggesting the attacks may have been planned in advance."<ref>
{{cite news
| title = Countries of Particular Concern: INDIA
| author = [[United States Commission on International Religious Freedom]]
| url = http://www.uscirf.gov/countries/countriesconcerns/Countries/India.html
| accessdate =26 March 2008
|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071225182505/http://www.uscirf.gov/countries/countriesconcerns/Countries/India.html |archivedate = 25 December 2007}}</ref>}}
In April 2002, retired supreme court justices [[V. R. Krishna Iyer]] and [[P. B. Sawant]] headed a citizen's panel to investigate the riots.<ref>[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=13475 Citizens’ tribunal to investigate Godhra carnage, communal riots], Express News Service, Monday, 1 April 2002, Ahmedabad.</ref> Their report includes testimony of the then Gujarat [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) minister [[Haren Pandya]] (since murdered), who testified about an evening meeting convened by [[Narendra Modi]] the evening of the [[Godhra train burning]]. At this meeting, officials were instructed not to obstruct the Hindu rage following the incident.<ref>[http://www.tehelka.com/story_main41.asp?filename=Ws090509Ram_Puniyani.asp Gujarat Carnage-Role of Narendra Modi], Ram Puniyani, 2 May 2009, tehelka.com</ref> The report also highlighted a second meeting, held in Lunawada village of [[Panchmahal district]], attended by state ministers Ashok Bhatt, and [[Prabhatsinh Chauhan]], and other BJP and RSS leaders, where "detailed plans were made on the use of kerosene and petrol for arson and other methods of killing."<ref>[http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20021202&fname=Tribunal+(F)&sid=1 Leads From Purgatory], Darshan Desai, 2 December 2002, Outlook Magazine.</ref>

The [[Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind|Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind]] claimed in 2002 that some regional Congress workers collaborated with the perpetrators of the violence.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ramachandran|first=Rajesh|title=Cong silent on cadres linked to Guj riots|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-08-09/india/27201201_1_congress-leaders-congress-mlas-gujarat-youth-congress|newspaper=Times of India}}</ref>

In 2003, A comment by G.T. Nanavati, who leads the official commission investigating the riots, that part of the evidence collected and reviewed till then did not indicate any serious lapse on the part of the government or police in Gujarat<ref>[http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/may/18guj.htm No police lapse in Gujarat riots: Justice Nanavati] Rediff – 18 May 2003</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Godhra probe: No evidence of lapse against govt |work=Times of India |location=India |date=19 May 2003 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/46813783.cms| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> was criticised as inappropriate by aid and reconciliation activists and other jurists.<ref>{{cite news | title = 3 organisations withdraw from Godhra hearings |work=Times of India |location=India |date=16 June 2003 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/25608.cms| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = I didn’t say so, says Nanavati |work=The Indian Express |location=India |date=19 May 2003 | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/archive_full_story.php?content_id=24279 | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

Organizations such as [[Human Rights Watch]] criticised the [[Government of India|Indian government]] for failure to address the resulting humanitarian condition of people, the "overwhelming majority of them Muslim," who fled their homes for relief camps in the aftermath of the events; as well as the Gujarat state administration for engaging in a cover-up of the state's role in the massacres.<ref>[http://hrw.org/english/docs/2002/04/30/india3885.htm Gujarat Officials Took Part in Anti-Muslim Violence], Human Rights Watch</ref> Many of the investigations and prosecution of those accused of violence during the riots have been opened for reinvestigation and prosecution.<ref name=BBC1 /><ref name=BBC2 /> The large-scale civil unrest has been generally been described as riots or inter-communal clashes.

In response to allegations of state involvement, Gujarat government spokesman, Bharat Pandya, told the BBC that the rioting was a spontaneous Hindu backlash fuelled by widespread anger against Muslims. He said "Hindus are frustrated over the role of Muslims in the on-going violence in Indian-administered Kashmir and other parts of India".<ref name="BBC-19-Mar-02">{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1881497.stm | title = NGO says Gujarat riots were planned |publisher=BBC News |date=19 March 2002| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

The US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, [[John Hanford]], expressing concern over religious intolerance in Indian politics, said that while the rioters may have been aided by state and local officials, he did not believe that the BJP-led central government was involved in inciting the riots.<ref>{{cite news | title = U.S. raised Gujarat riots with BJP-led Government | author = Sridhar Krishnaswami |work=The Hindu |date=16 September 2004 | url = http://www.hindu.com/2004/09/16/stories/2004091613381100.htm | location=Chennai, India| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

At the same time, about two hundred policemen lost their lives trying to control the violence in Gujarat.<ref>{{cite journal | last= Rosser| first= Yvette| title= Curriculum as Destiny: Forging National Identity in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh| page= Pg. 356
| publisher= The University of Texas at Austin| year= 2003| url= http://www.lib.utexas.edu/etd/d/2003/rosseryc036/rosseryc036.pdf|format=PDF| work= PhD Dissertation| accessdate=10 September 2008| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080911035259/http://www.lib.utexas.edu/etd/d/2003/rosseryc036/rosseryc036.pdf| archivedate= 11 September 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>

In April 2012, a Special Investigation Team found absolved Modi of any involvement in the Gulberg massacre, arguably the worst episode of the riots.<ref>[http://www.dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/top-story/56643-its-official-modi-gets-clean-chit-in-gulberg-massacre.html It's official: Modi gets clean chit in Gulberg massacre] Daily Pioneer - 10 April 2012</ref> The Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on the riots exonerated Modi of all charges.<ref name="dna">{{cite web |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/interview_narendra-modi-as-encountered-in-sit-report_1686943|title=Narendra Modi as encountered in SIT report|publisher=DNA India|date=10 May 2012|accessdate=7 August 2012}}</ref>

In his report, Mr. Raju Ramachandran the amicus curiae for the case, strongly disagreed with a key conclusion of the R.K. Raghavan-led SIT: that IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was not present at a late-night meeting of top Gujarat cops held at the Chief Minister's residence in the wake of the 27 February 2002 Godhra carnage.
It has been Mr. Bhatt's claim — made in an affidavit before the apex court and in statements to the SIT and the amicus — that he was present at the meeting where Mr. Modi allegedly said Hindus must be allowed to carry out retaliatory violence against Muslims. Raju Ramachandran was of the opinion that Mr Modi could be prosecuted for alleged statements he had made. Mr. Ramachandran said there was no clinching material available in the pre-trial stage to disbelieve Mr. Bhatt, whose claim could be tested only in court. “Hence, it cannot be said, at this stage, that Shri Bhatt should be disbelieved and no further proceedings should be taken against Shri Modi.”
<ref name ="the hindu">{{cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3393808.ece|title=Proceed against Modi for Gujarat riots: amicus|publisher=The Hindu|date=7 May 2012|accessdate=5 September 2012}}</ref>
<ref name ="the hindu2">{{cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3398456.ece|title=No evidence of Modi promoting enmity: SIT|publisher=The Hindu|date=9 May 2012|accessdate=5 September 2012}}
</ref>

==Criminal prosecutions==
There have been 249 convictions till now in 19 cases. This includes 184 Hindus and 65 Muslims- 31 for Godhra and 34 for post-Godhra.
A brief summary of total convictions will be as follows:

* '''16 October 2003''' - 4 Muslims were convicted and given life imprisonment<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//india/Four-get-life-imprisonment/articleshow/236376.cms|title=Four get life imprisonment|publisher=''Times of India''|date=16-Oct-2003}}</ref>

* '''25 November 2003''' - 15 Hindus were convicted of whom 12 were given life imprisonment<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/nov/24godhra.htm|title=Post-Godhra riots: 15 convicted in Nadiad|publisher=''Rediff''|date=25-Nov-2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/nov/25godhra.htm|title=Gujarat riots case: 12 sentenced to life imprisonment|publisher=''Rediff''|date=26-Nov-2003}}</ref>
<!--http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/nov/24godhra.htm – Link for conviction
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/nov/25godhra.htm – Link for punishment-->

* '''4 August 2005''' - 2 confessing Muslims were convicted{{citation needed|date=February 2013}}
<!--This was reported by Deccan Herald the next day, 5 August 2005. The Muslims confessed their crime.-->
Source: http://archive.deccanherald.com/Deccanherald/aug52005/national172323200584.asp

* '''14 December 2005''' - 11 Hindus were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/dec/14godhra.htm|title=Gujarat: 11 get life imprisonment for post-Godhra riot|publisher=''Rediff''|date=14-Dec-2005}}</ref>

* '''24 February 2006''' - 9 Hindus were convicted (Outside Gujarat)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/feb/24gujarat.htm|title=Best Bakery Case: 9 accused convicted|publisher=''Rediff''|date=24-Feb-2006}}</ref>

* '''18 March 2006''' - 7 Muslims were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=174094|title=IE1|publisher=''Indian Express''}}</ref>

* '''28 March 2006''' - 9 Muslims were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=65065|title=9 convicted in post-Godhra riot case|publisher=''Indian Express''|date=28-Mar-2006}}</ref>

* '''14 May 2006''' - 5 Muslims were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/POTA-court-convicts-five-in-Ahmedabad-blast-case/Article1-97222.aspx|title=POTA court convicts five in Ahmedabad Blast case|publisher=''Hindustan Times''|date=13-May-2006}}</ref>

* '''18 May 2006''' - 4 Muslims were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/postgodhra-riots-dna-test-nails-4-killers/4719/|title=Post-Godhra riots: DNA test nails 4 killers|publisher=''Indian Express''|date=19-May-2006}}</ref>

* '''23 November 2006''' - 3 Muslims were convicted for blasts on 6 August 2002 in Ahmedabad in which no one was killed but caused panic<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-11-23/india/27818103_1_pota-court-pota-case-memco|title=Memco blast case: POTA court convicts three|publisher=''Times of India''|date=23-Nov-2006}}</ref>

* '''30 October 2007''' - 11 Hindus were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-10-30/india/27970801_1_godhra-riots-gujarat-riots-life-term|title=Gujarat riots: Eight convicts get life term|publisher=''Times of India''|date=30-oct-2007}}</ref>

* '''22 January 2008''' - 12 Hindus were convicted in the Bilkis Bano case (outside Gujarat)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/22/stories/2008012259991300.htm|title=11 sentenced to life in Bilkis Bano case|publisher=''The Hindu''|date=22-Jan-2008}}</ref>

* '''1 March 2011''' - 31 Muslims were convicted for Godhra train burning of karsewaks which was the starting point of riots<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-01/india/28643060_1_haji-billa-godhra-train-rajjak-kurkur|title=Death for 11, life sentence for 20 in Godhra train burning case|publisher=''Times of India''|date=1-Mar-2011}}</ref>

* '''13 July 2011''' - 6 Hindus were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Ahmedabad/Six-convicted-in-post-Godhra-riot-case-after-nine-years/Article1-720552.aspx|title=Six convicted in post-Gudhra riot case after nine years|publisher=''Hindustan Times''|date=13-Jul-2011}}</ref>

* '''9 November 2011''' - 31 Hindus were convicted for the Sadarpura case<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-09/india/30377556_1_riot-case-riot-victims-sardarpura|title=Sardarpura riot case: 31 convicted, 42 acquitted|publisher=''Times of India''|date=9-Nov-2011}}</ref>

* '''9 April 2012''' - 23 Hindus were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-riots-court-convicts-23-acquits-23-for-ode-massacre_1673458|title=Gujarat's Ode massacre: 23 convicted, 23 acquitted for 23 deaths|publisher=''Daily News and Analysis''|date=09-Apr-2012}}</ref>

* '''4 May 2012''' - 9 Hindus were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=250003912#page=2|title=9 convicted, 32 acquitted in 2002 Ode riots case|publisher=''MSN India''|date=04-May-2012}}</ref>

* '''30 July 2012''' - 22 Hindus were convicted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3702882.ece|title=Life term for 21 in Dipda Darwaja massacre case|publisher=''The Hindu''|date=30-Jul-2012}}</ref>

* '''29 August 2012''' - 32 Hindus were convicted for the Naroda Patiya killings<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article3835078.ece|title=Ex-BJP Minister among 32 convicted of Naroda-Patiya massacre|publisher=''The Hindu''|date=29-Aug-2012}}</ref>

The [[Indian Supreme Court]] has been strongly critical of the state government's investigation and prosecution of those accused of violence during the riots, directing police to review about 2,000 of the 4,000 riot related cases that had been closed citing lack of evidence or leads.<ref name=BBC1>{{cite news | title = Court orders Gujarat riot review |publisher=BBC News |date=17 August 2004 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3572296.stm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> Following this direction, police identified nearly 1,600 cases for reinvestigation, arrested 640 accused and launched investigations against 40 police officers for their failures.<ref name=BBC2>{{cite news | title = Gujarat riot cases to be reopened |publisher=BBC News |date=8 February 2006 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4693412.stm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Gujarat riot probe panel moves against 41 cops |work=The Indian Express |location=India |date=9 February 2006 | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/archive/StoryO-87579-Gujarat-riot-probe-panel-moves-against-41-cops.html| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}} {{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref>

[[Human Rights Watch]] alleged<ref name="hrw_bg_gujarat">[http://hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/india/gujarat Discouraging Dissent: Intimidation and Harassment of Witnesses, Human Rights Activists, and Lawyers Pursuing Accountability for the 2002 Communal Violence in Gujarat], Human Rights Watch September 2004</ref> that state and law enforcement officials were harassing and intimidating<ref name="hrw_continued_harass">[http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/09/23/india9383.htm India: After Gujarat Riots, Witnesses Face Intimidation (Human Rights Watch, 23 September 2004)]</ref> key witnesses, NGOs, social activists and lawyers who were fighting to seek justice for riot victims. In its 2003 annual report, Amnesty International stated, "the same police force that was accused of colluding with the attackers was put in charge of the investigations into the massacres, undermining the process of delivery of justice to the victims."<ref name="AI-2003" />

The [[Best Bakery case|Best Bakery murder trial]] received wide attention after witnesses retracted testimony in court and all accused were acquitted. The [[Supreme Court of India|Indian Supreme Court]], acting on a petition by social activist [[Teesta Setalvad]], ordered a retrial outside Gujarat in which nine accused were found guilty in 2006.<ref>Dionne Bunsha, [http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2304/stories/20060310005611700.htm Verdict in Best Bakery case], ''Frontline'', Volume 23 – Issue 04, 25 February – 10 March 2006</ref> A key witness, [[Zaheera Sheikh]], who repeatedly changed her testimony during the trials and the petition was found guilty of [[perjury]].<ref>[http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/08spec.htm Why did Zaheera Sheikh have to lie?],''Rediff.com''</ref>

After a local court dismissed the case against her assailants, Bilkis Bano approached the National Human Rights Commission and petitioned the Supreme Court seeking a retrial. The Supreme Court granted the motion, directing the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] to take over the investigation,CBI appointed team of experts from CFSL Delhi and AIIMS under the guidance and leadership of Professor [[Tirath Das Dogra|T. D. Dogra]] of AIIMS to exhume the mass graves to established the identity and cause of death of deceased persons,the team successfully located and exhumed the remains of deceased persons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-meticulous-seven-and-a-sevenday-hunt-for-proof/264049|title=The meticulous seven, and a seven-day hunt for proof-Amitabh Sinha|date= New Delhi, January 21, Mon Jan 21 2008, 23:59 hrs|publisher=Indian Express|accessdate=2013-02-10}}</ref> The trial of the case was transferred out of Gujarat and directing the central government to appoint the public prosecutor.<ref name="Deccan-Herald-Aug-9-04" >{{cite news | title = A hopeful Bilkis goes public |work=Deccan Herald |location=India |date=9 August 2004 | url = http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/aug092004/n14.asp| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph-Aug-7-04">{{cite news | title = Second riot case shift | publisher = The Telegraph |date=7 August 2004 | url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040807/asp/frontpage/story_3595362.asp| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> Charges were filed in a Mumbai court against nineteen people as well as six police officials and a government doctor over their role in the initial investigations.<ref name="Hindu-Jan-14-05">{{cite news | title = Charges framed in Bilkis case |work=The Hindu |date=14 January 2005 | url = http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/14/stories/2005011403701300.htm | location=Chennai, India| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> In January 2008, eleven men were sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murders and a policeman was convicted of falsifying evidence.<ref>{{cite news | title = Rape victim Bilkis Bano hails victory for Muslims as Hindu assailants are jailed for life | author = Jeremy Page |work=The Times |location=London | date = 23 January 2008 | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3234530.ece | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

In 2005, the Vadodara fast track court acquitted 108 people accused of murdering two youths, during a mob attack on a group of displaced Muslims returning under police escort to their homes in Avdhootnagar. The court passed strictures against the police for failing to protect the people under their escort<ref>{{cite news | title = All accused in riot case acquitted |work=The Hindu |location=India |date=26 October 2005 | url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/10/26/stories/2005102605681400.htm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> and failing to identify the attackers they had witnessed.<ref>{{cite news | title = Over 100 accused in post-Godhra riots acquitted | publisher = Rediff News |date=25 October 2005 | url = http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/25godhra.htm | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

Nine people were convicted of killing a Hindu man and injuring another during group clashes in Danilimda, Ahmedabad on 12 April, while 25 others were acquitted.<ref>{{cite news | title = Sentencing in Gujarat Hindu death | author = Rajeev Khanna |publisher=BBC News |date=28 March 2006 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4854760.stm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

Eight people, including a VHP leader and a member of the BJP, were convicted for the murder of seven members of a family and the rape of two minor girls in the village of Eral in Panchmahal district.<ref>{{cite news | title = Hindus jailed over Gujarat riots |publisher=BBC News |date=30 October 2007 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7069809.stm | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Godhra court convicts 11 in Eral massacre case; 29 acquitted | author = PTI | publisher = Yahoo! India News|date=30 October 2007| url = http://in.news.yahoo.com/071030/20/6ml7b.html| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

Fifty two people from Pavagadh and Dhikva villages in Panchmahal district were acquitted of rioting charges for lack of evidence.<ref>{{cite news | title = 52 acquitted in post-Godhra case | publisher = Rediff News |date=22 April 2006 | url = http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/apr/22godhra.htm | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

A stringent anti-terror law, the [[POTA]], was used by the Gujarat government to charge 131 people in connection to the Godhra train fire, but not invoked in prosecuting any of the accused in the post-Godhra riots.<ref>{{Cite book | contribution = Hindu Nationalists and federal structures in an era of regionalism | author = Katharine Adeney | title = Coalition Politics And Hindu Nationalism | editors = Katharine Adeney, Lawrence Sáez (Eds.) | publisher = Routledge | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-0-415-35981-8 | page = 114 | postscript = }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = A Time of Coalitions: Divided We Stand | author = Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Shankar Raghuraman | publisher = Sage Publications | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-7619-3237-6 | page = 123 }}</ref> In 2005 the POTA Review Committee set up by central government to review the application of the law opined that the Godhra accused should not be tried under the provisions of POTA.<ref>{{cite news | title = Pota Review Committee Gives Opinion On Godhra Case To POTA Court | publisher = Indlaw|date=21 June 2005 | url = http://www.indlawnews.com/0b4b3d8601312009fa9754c2386220f9|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060526033930/http://www.indlawnews.com/0b4b3d8601312009fa9754c2386220f9 |archivedate = 26 May 2006|deadurl=yes}}</ref>

On 9 November 2011, a court in [[Ahmedabad]] sentenced 31 Hindus to life imprisonment for murdering dozens of Muslims, by burning a building in which they took shelter.<ref name="Srivastava"/> 41 other Hindus were acquitted of murder charges due to lack of evidence.<ref name="Srivastava">[http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/indian-court-finds-31-hindus-guilty-of-killing-dozens-of-muslims-in-rioting-9-years-ago/2011/11/09/gIQA5HPL4M_story.html Indian court sentences 31 Hindus to life in prison for killing dozens of Muslims 9 years ago] – ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 9 November 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.</ref> 22 additional people were convicted for attempted murder on 30 July 2012, while 61 others were acquitted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19044830 |title=India convictions over Gujarat Dipda Darwaza killings |date=30 July 2012 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=31 July 2012}}</ref>

On 29 July 2012, an Indian court gave the verdict in the [[Naroda Patiya massacre]] case and convicted 32 people, including former state minister [[Maya Kodnani]] and Hindu leader [[Babu Bajrangi]] of involvement in the attacks. The court case began since 2009, and over 300 people (including victims, witnesses, doctors, and journalists) have testified before the court. For the first time, the verdict acknowledged the role of a politician in inciting Hindu mobs. Activists say that the verdict will embolden the opponent of Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, in the crucial run-up to state elections later this year, when Modi will seek a third term. Modi refused to apologize and denied that the government had a role in the riots. Twenty-nine people were acquitted during the verdict. Teesta Setalvad, a human rights campaigner, said, “For the first time, this judgment actually goes beyond neighborhood perpetrators and goes up to the political conspiracy. The fact that convictions have gone that high means the conspiracy charge has been accepted and the political influencing of the mobs has been accepted by the judge. This is a huge victory for justice.”<ref name="WashPo verdict">{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/indian-court-convicts-former-government-minister-in-deadly-2002-riots/2012/08/29/3745a438-f1b3-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_story.html | title=Indian court convicts former state minister in deadly 2002 anti-Muslim riots | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Lakshmi, Rama | date=29 August 2012 | accessdate=29 August 2012}}</ref>

==Public enquiries==

===Shah-Nanavati commission===
On 6 March, the Gujarat government set up a commission of enquiry headed by retired High Court judge K.G. Shah to enquire into the Godhra train burning and the subsequent violence and submit a report in three months.<ref>[http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/03/07/stories/2002030706110100.htm The Hindu : Probe panel appointed]</ref> Following criticism from victims' organisations, activists and political parties over Shah's alleged proximity to the BJP, on 22 May, the government reconstituted the commission, appointing retired Supreme Court Justice G.T. Nanavati to lead the commission.<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/archive_full_story.php?content_id=3116 Modi succumbs to pressure, Nanavati put on Shah panel] The Indian Express – 21 May 2002</ref><ref>[http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2002/05/23/stories/2002052301541200.htm Former Supreme Court judge joins Gujarat probe] [[The Hindu]] – 23 May 2002</ref>
In 2008, the [[Nanavati commission]] came out largely in favour of the Gujarat government's aspect. Nanavati's evidence hinged on the acquisition of 140 litres of petrol hours before the arrival of the train and the storage of the said petrol at the alleged key conspirator's, Razzak Kurkur, guest house. This was further corroborated by forensic evidence showing fuel was poured on the train compartment before being burnt. The alleged mastermind was said to be the cleric Maulvi Husain Haji Ibrahim Umarji and a dismissed [[Central Reserve Police Force]] officer named Nanumiyan, from Assam, who had instigated the Muslim crowds. Furthermore, two Kashmiris, Gulamnabi and Ali Mohammed, were in the same guesthouse for a fortnight prior to the event speaking about the [[Kashmir liberation]] movement.<ref name="India 2008"/>

The [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] and the [[Indian National Congress]] party both came out railing against the exoneration of the Gujarat government by the commission citing the timing of the report (with general elections months away) as evident of unfairness. Congress spokesperson [[Veerappa Moily]] commented at the strange absolvement of the Gujarat government for complacency for the carnage. He also said the report reinforced communal prejudices.<ref>cong, cpm slam Nanavati report for reinforcing 'communal bias.' Times of India. 28 September 2008.</ref>

===National Human Rights Commission===
In its Proceedings of 1 April 2002, the Commission had set out its Preliminary Comments and Recommendations on the situation and sent a Confidential Report of the team of the Commission that visited Gujarat from 19–22 March 2002 to Gujarat government and Central Home Ministry. The Gujarat government in its reply did not provide its response to the Confidential report. Therefore, the Commission was compelled to release the confidential report in its entirety<ref name="nhrc_gujarat2002">[http://nhrc.nic.in/guj_finalorder.htm National Human Rights Commission] {{WebCite|url=http://www.webcitation.org/5PpkeUxph|date =24 June 2007| accessdate=14 July 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> and observed that nothing in the reports received in response "rebuts the presumption that the Modi administration failed in its duty to protect the rights of the people of Gujarat" by not exercising its jurisdiction over non-state players that may cause or facilitate the violation of human rights.
It further observed that "the violence in the State, which was initially claimed to have been brought under control in seventy two hours, persisted in varying degree for over two months, the toll in death and destruction rising with the passage of time despite the measures reportedly taken by the State Government".
The report claims failure of intelligence, failure to take appropriate action, patterns of arrests, uneven handling of major cases, and "Distorted FIRs: ‘extraneous influences’, issue of transparency and integrity" as key factors in the incident(s).

===Banerjee Committee===
In September 2004, a panel appointed by the central government and headed by former Supreme Court judge UC Banerjee to probe the Godhra train fire concluded that the fire was accidental.<ref>{{cite news | title = India train fire 'not mob attack' |publisher=BBC News |date=17 January 2005 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4180885.stm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref name="express-2006">{{cite news | title = Banerjee panel illegal: Gujarat HC | author = Press Trust of India | publisher = Express India |date=13 October 2006 | url = http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=75485 | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> Its findings were challenged by the BJP and the Gujarat inspector-general of police. In October 2006, the Gujarat High Court ruled that the panel was set up illegally, in violation of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 which prohibits the setting up of separate commissions by state and central governments to probe a matter of public importance.<ref>{{cite news | title = HC terms Sabarmati Express panel illegal |work=The Financial Express |date=14 October 2006| url = http://www.financialexpress.com/news/story/180656/| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

=== Concerned Citizens Tribunal ===
The citizen tribunal headed by retired Supreme Court justice Krishna Iyer collected evidence and testimony from more than 2000 riot victims, witnesses and others. In its report, the tribunal accuses the state government and chief minister Modi of complicity in the violence. While Krishna Iyer was nominally part of this tribunal, he made it clear in the preface of the report that his involvement was very limited.<ref>{{cite news | title = Report of Concerned Citizens indicts Modi govt for riots |work=Times of India |location=India |date=21 November 2002 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow.asp?artid=28991665 | deadurl=yes| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}} {{Dead link|date=September 2011|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Now citizens’ tribunal pins Modi for riots |work=The Indian Express |location=India |date=22 November 2002 | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/india-news/archive_full_story.php?content_id=13479 | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Concerned Citizens Tribunal – Gujarat 2002: An inquiry into the carnage in Gujarat | publisher = Sabrang | url = http://www.sabrang.com/tribunal/vol2/rolegovt.html| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
Opposition parties as well as three coalition partners<ref>{{cite news | title = Hindu hardliners rally round Gujarat leader | author = Khozem Merchant |work=Financial Times |date=12 April 2002 | url = http://search.ft.com/nonFtArticle?id=020412009999| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> of the BJP-led central government demanded the dismissal of Gujarat Chief Minister [[Narendra Modi]] for failing to contain the violence, with some calling for the removal of Union Home Minister L K Advani as well.<ref>{{cite news | title = Removal of Advani, Modi sought |work=The Hindu |date=7 March 2002 | url = http://www.hindu.com/2002/03/07/stories/2002030702791300.htm | location=Chennai, India| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

On 18 July, Chief Minister Narendra Modi asked the [[Governor of Gujarat]] to dissolve the state assembly and call fresh elections.<ref>{{cite news | title = Gujarat chief minister resigns |publisher=BBC News |date=19 July 2002 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2139008.stm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> The Indian Election Commission ruled out early elections, citing the prevailing law and order situation, a decision the union government unsuccessfully<ref>{{cite news | title = 2 Indian Elections Bring Vote Panel's Chief to Fore | author = Amy Waldman |work=New York Times |date=7 September 2002 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EFD7133EF934A3575AC0A9649C8B63| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> appealed against in the Supreme Court.<ref>{{cite news | title = India's electoral process in question
| author = Mark Tully | publisher = CNN |date=27 August 2002 | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/08/27/tully.india/index.html?related| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

In August 2002 a plot by [[Lashkar-e-Toiba]] to assassinate [[Narendra Modi]], [[Praveen Togadia]], and other [[Sangh Parivar]] leaders was unearthed by Indian police. The terrorists were planning to set up a base in Gujarat and were trying to lure some of the riot-hit people into taking up "so-called jihadi activities" Delhi Police Special Commissioner (Intelligence) K K Paul said.<ref>[http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/aug/30modi.htm Plan to kill Modi, Togadia unearthed; 3 held] Rediff – 30 August 2002</ref>

In September 2002, at least 29 people were killed when [[Islamic fundamentalist]] gunmen engaged in the [[Akshardham Temple attack]] in the city of [[Gandhinagar]] in Gujarat. The Pakistani [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] and Islamic terrorist group [[Lashkar-e-Toiba]] were accused of supporting the terrorists.<ref>[http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/28guj.htm Lashkar responsible for temple attack],''Rediff.com''</ref><ref>[http://www.ict.org.il/spotlight/det.cfm?id=829 Gunmen Attack Hindu Temple in Gujarat],''ict.org'' {{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/24guj2.htm NSG commandos rush to Gandhinagar]</ref><ref>;[http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/sep/24aksh6.htm ISI instigated Akshardham attack: Gujarat police],''Rediff.com''</ref>

Elections were held in December and Modi was returned to power in a landslide victory.<ref>{{cite news | title = Gujarat victory heartens nationalists |publisher=BBC News |date=15 December| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2576855.stm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

Emails made public by the perpetrators of a series of bombings in western India in July 2008 indicated that those attacks were "the revenge of Gujarat".

==Relief efforts==
Amnesty International's annual report on India in 2003 claimed the "Gujarat government did not actively fulfill its duty to provide appropriate relief and rehabilitation to the survivors".<ref name="AI-2003">[http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/ind-summary-eng India] Amnesty International</ref>

The state government initially offered compensation payments of 200,000 rupees to the families of those who died in the Godhra train fire and 100,000 rupees to the families of those who died in the subsequent riots, which local Muslims described as discriminatory.<ref name="Dugger child">Dugger, Celia W. ''Ahmedabad Journal – In India, a Child's Life Is Cheap Indeed [[New York Times]]''. New York, N.Y.:7 March 2002</ref> Subsequently, the government set the compensation amount at 150,000 rupees.<ref>[http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html 254 Hindus, 790 Muslims killed in post-Godhra riots] {{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref>

By 27 March, nearly 100,000 displaced people moved into 101 relief camps. This swelled to over 150,000 in 104 camps the next two weeks.<ref name="Brass-2005"/> The camps were run by community groups and NGOs, with the government committing to provide amenities and supplementary services. Drinking water, medical help, clothing and blankets were in short supply at the camps.<ref name="timesoI_nostatehelp">{{cite news | title = Rains, epidemic threaten relief camps | publisher = Times of India |date=2 July 2002 | author = Ruchir Chandorkar | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?art_Id=14700660| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> At least another 100 camps were denied government support, according to a camp organiser.<ref>{{cite news | title = Camp Comatose | author = Priyanka Kakodkar |date=15 April 2002 | publisher = Outlook | url = http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20020415&fname=Cover+Stories&sid=4| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> and relief supplies were prevented from reaching the camps over fears that they may be carrying arms.<ref name="bbc_gujaratviolence">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1881497.stm NGO says Gujarat riots were planned]</ref>

Relief camp organisers alleged that the state government was coercing refugees to leave relief camps, with 25,000 people made to leave eighteen camps that were shut down. Following government assurances that camps would not be shut down, the Gujarat High Court bench ordered that camp organisers be given a supervisory role to ensure that the assurances were met.<ref>{{cite news | title = Govt not to close relief camps |work=Times of India |location=India |date=27 June 2002 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?art_id=14205642 | deadurl=yes| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}} {{Dead link|date=September 2011|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref>

On 23 May 2008, the [[Government of India|Union Government]] announced a 320 [[crore]] rupee (US $ 80 million) relief package for the victims of the riots.<ref>{{cite news |authorlink= www.bbc.co.uk |title= Relief for Gujarat riot victims|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7416073.stm|work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date= 23 May 2008 |accessdate=11 September 2008 }}</ref>

==Media coverage==
Covering the first major communal riots following in the advent of satellite television to India, television news channels set a precedent by identifying the community of those involved in the violence, breaking a long-standing practice.<ref name="Cole-2006">{{Cite book | first = Prasun | last = Sonwalkar | editor-last = Cole | editor-first = Benjamin | contribution = Shooting the messenger? Political violence, Gujarat 2002 and the Indian news media | title = Conflict, Terrorism and the Media in Asia | year = 2006 | pages = 82–97 | publisher = Routledge | issn = 0415351987 | postscript = }}</ref>

Critical reporting on the Gujarat government's handling of the situation helped bring about the Indian government's intervention in controlling the violence.<ref name="Cole-2006"/> The Gujarat government banned television news channels critical of the government's response. [[STAR News]], [[Zee News]], [[Aaj Tak]], [[CNN]] and local stations were blocked.<ref name="Cole-2006"/>

The Editorial Guild of India rejected the charge that graphic news coverage aggravated the situation, saying that the coverage exposed the "horrors" of the riots as well as the "supine if not complicit" attitude of the state, helping propel remedial action. The team also faulted Gujarati language papers ''Gujarat Samachar'' and the pro-Hindutva ''Sandesh'' of distorted and provocative reporting.<ref name="Cole-2006"/>

The Godhra fire received extensive news coverage until it was overtaken by the subsequent violence and the presentation of the Union budget.<ref name="Cole-2006"/> Television and newspaper reports, particularly local Gujarati-language media, carried graphic and at times sensationalised images and accounts of the Godhra train fire.<ref>{{cite news | title = An ounce of image, a pound of performance | author = Sevanti Ninan |work=The Hindu |date=28 April 2002 | url = http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/04/28/stories/2002042800010100.htm | location=Chennai, India| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>
[[S Gurumurthy]], [[Arvind Lavakare]] and columnist [[Rajeev Srinivasan]] argue that news reports emphasised the provocative behaviour of the kar sevaks on the Sabarmathi Express in an effort to rationalise the subsequent mob attack at Godhra and displace blame from the mob on to the kar sevaks.<ref>{{cite news | title = Madam, will they be shamed by your blunt words? | publisher = New India Press | date = 2 March 2002 | url = http://www.newindpress.com/Column.asp?ID=IEH20020301124139&P=old| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}, {{cite news | title = Why 'secular' history repeats itself | author = Arvind Lavakare | publisher = Rediff | date = 5 March 2002 | url = http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/05arvind.htm | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Blaming the Hindu Victim: Manufacturing Consent for Barbarism | author = Rajeev Srinivasan | publisher = Rediff News | date = 7 March 2002 | url = http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/07rajeev.htm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

In 2004, the weekly newspaper ''[[Tehelka]]'' published a hidden camera exposé alleging that a BJP legislator Madhu Srivastava bribed Zaheera Sheikh, a witness in the Best Bakery killings trial.<ref>{{cite news | title = I Paid Zaheera Sheikh Rs 18 Lakh | publisher = Tehelka |date=6 December 2007 | url = http://www.tehelka.com/story_main10.asp?filename=ts010105press.asp|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5h95z5mFL|archivedate=29 May 2009|deadurl=no|accessdate=27 May 2009}}</ref> Srivatsava denied the allegation,<ref>{{cite news | title = Politician denies bribing witness |publisher=BBC News |date=22 December 2004 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4117875.stm| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> and an inquiry committee appointed by the Indian Supreme Court drew an "adverse inference" from the video footage, though it failed to uncover evidence that money was actually paid.<ref>{{cite news | title = Zahira sting: MLA gets clean chit |work=Times of India |location=India |date=4 January 2006 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1357590,prtpage-1.cms | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> In a [[The Truth: Gujarat 2002 - Tehelka report|2007 expose]], the newspaper released hidden camera footage of several members of the BJP, VHP and the Bajrang Dal admitting their role in the riots.<ref>{{cite web | title = Gujarat 2002: The Truth in the words of the men who did it | publisher = Tehelka |date=3 November 2007 | url = http://www.tehelka.com/story_main35.asp?filename=Ne031107gujrat_sec.asp| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref name="express-oct-26">{{cite news | title = Sting traps footsoldiers of Gujarat riots allegedly boasting about killings with state support |work=The Indian Express |location=India |date=26 October 2007 | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/story/232545.html| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5h97FrUsa | archivedate = 29 May 2009| deadurl=no}}</ref> Among those featured in the tapes was the special counsel representing the Gujarat government before the Nanavati-Shah Commission, Arvind Pandya, who resigned from his post after they were made public.<ref>{{cite news | title = Gujarat Govt counsel quits |work=The Indian Express |location=India |date=28 October 2007 | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/story/233175.html | accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> While the report was criticised by some as being politically motivated,<ref>[http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200710271941.htm Tehelka sting a political conspiracy: Shiv Sena] [[The Hindu]] – 27 October 2007. Retrieved 2009-05-27. [http://www.webcitation.org/5h95zs7x4 Archived] 29 May 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Oct272007/national2007102732570.asp Tehelka is Cong proxy: BJP] Deccan Herald – 27 October 2007 {{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20071112&fname=Cover+Story+(F)&sid=6 A Sting Without Venom] Outlook India – 12 November 2007 issue</ref><ref>[http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/8454 Godhra Carnage Vs. Pundits Exodus] Asian Tribune – 29 November 2007</ref> some newspapers said the revelations simply reinforced what was common knowledge.<ref name="express-oct-26" /><ref>{{cite news | title = Polls don't tell whole story |work=Times of India |location=India |date=October 2007 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/Polls_dont_tell_whole_story/articleshow/2500634.cms | first1=Kingshuk | last1=Nag| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Ghosts don’t lie |work=The Indian Express |location=India |date=27 October 2007 | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/story/232757.html| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Everything, but the news |work=Hindustan Times |location=India | author = Chitra Padmanabhan |date=14 November 2007 | url = http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=9ba3c46a-72dd-4b2a-9a04-6fa9c299b32a&MatchID1=4604&TeamID1=6&TeamID2=7&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1157&MatchID2=4575&TeamID3=8&TeamID4=2&MatchType2=1&SeriesID2=1147&PrimaryID=4604&Headline=Everything%2c+but+the+news| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> However there were several inaccuracies in the statements that questioned the sting operation. Babu Bajrani and Suresh Richard in the statements said that Narendra Modi visited Naroda Patiya one day after the massacre to thank them. However official record shows that Naredra Modi didn't visit Naroda Patiya. VHP activist, Ramesh Dave told Tehelka reporter that S.K.Gadhvi, one of the divisional superintendents of Police killed five Muslims in Dariapur area as promised to him. But the official records show that Gadhvi was only posted in Dariapur one month after the riots. During his tenure no such incident took place in Dariapur.<ref>http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Gujarat:+The+noose+tightens/1/1716.html</ref> The Gujarat government blocked telecast of cable news channels broadcasting the expose, a move strongly condemned by the Editors Guild of India.<ref>{{cite news | title = Editors Guild condemns Gujarat action |work=The Hindu |date=30 October 2007 | url = http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/30/stories/2007103055681200.htm | location=Chennai, India| accessdate=4 February 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

The riots were also the subject of a 2004 documentary film by [[Rakesh Sharma (filmmaker)]], called [[Final Solution (Gujarat Riots)]]. The film was denied entry to [[Mumbai International Film Festival]] in 2004 due to objections by [[Censor Board of India]], but won two awards at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival (2004)<ref>[http://www.hindu.com/2004/02/17/stories/2004021701112200.htm The Hindu] Tuesday, 17 February 2004</ref>

An interesting observation with regard to media handling of Gujarat riots is that at the time of riots, the media reports had been pointing out the steps taken by Modi administration to curb riots and how even the combined strength of Indian Army which Modi had requested with few hours of riots having broken, and State Police could not control the situation. However, later, the media editorials became critical of Modi, sidelining the facts they'd already published.<ref>[http://www.ibtl.in/blog/2055/hang-me-if-guilty--measuring-modis-guilt-through-medias-own-eyes 'Measuring Modi's guilt through Media's on eyes] India behind the lens - 4 September 2012</ref>

==Controversies on the riots==

===Atrocities against women===
An international fact finding committee formed of experts{{who|date=September 2012}} from US, UK, France, Germany and Sri Lanka reported, "sexual violence was being used as a strategy for terrorising women belonging to minority community in the state."<ref name="Press Trust of India">[http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=17823 Intl experts spoil Modi's party, say Gujarat worse than Bosnia]</ref>

Taking a stand decried by the media and other rights groups, Nafisa Hussain, a member of the National Commission for Women accused organisations and the media of needlessly exaggerating the plight of women victims of the riots.<ref>[http://www.fisiusa.org/fisi_News_items/Godhra/godhra093.htm Women's groups decry NCW stand] {{Wayback|df=yes|url=http://www.fisiusa.org/fisi_News_items/Godhra/godhra093.htm|date =20090122085938}}</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20031010064334/http://www.tehelka.com/channels/currentaffairs/2002/apr/22/ca042202rinku.htm Web-archive of above], from '''tehelka.com'''</ref><ref>[http://www.infochangeindia.org/archives1.jsp?secno=1&monthname=June&year=2002&detail=T Gujarat’s women were victims of extreme violence] {{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref> which was strongly disputed as Gujarat did not have a State Commission for Women to act on the ground.<ref>http://www.fisiusa.org/fisi_News_items/Godhra/godhra093.htm {{Wayback|df=yes|url=http://www.fisiusa.org/fisi_News_items/Godhra/godhra093.htm|date =20090122085938}}</ref> The newspaper Tribune reported that "The National Commission for Women has reluctantly agreed to the complicity of Gujarat Government in the communal violence in the state." The tone of their most recent report was reported by the Tribune as "lenient".<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020426/main5.htm NCM rejects Gujarat report:Directs state to follow its recommendations]</ref>

===Riot cases controversy===
In April 2009, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) setup by the [[Supreme Court of India]] to investigate and expedite the Gujarat riot cases submitted before the Court that [[Teesta Setalvad]] had cooked up cases of violence to spice up the incidents. The SIT which is headed by former CBI director, R. K. Raghavan has said that false witnesses were tutored to give evidence about imaginary incidents by Setalvad and other NGOs.<ref name=toi>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NGOs-Teesta-spiced-up-Gujarat-riot-incidents-SIT/articleshow/4396986.cms NGOs, Teesta spiced up Gujarat riot incidents: SIT]</ref> The SIT charged her of “cooking up macabre tales of killings”.<ref name=economictimes>Setalvad in dock for 'cooking up killings' [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Setalvad-in-dock-for-cooking-up-killings/articleshow/4397849.cms Setalvad in dock for 'cooking up killings' – Economic Times]. Retrieved 2009-05-11. [http://www.webcitation.org/5glwxxEme Archived] 14 May 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Gujarat riot myths busted|url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/169490/Gujarat-riot-myths-busted.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5glwxafqF|archivedate=14 May 2009|deadurl=no|accessdate=11 May 2009}}</ref>

The court was told that 22 witnesses, who had submitted identical affidavits before various courts relating to riot incidents, were questioned by SIT and it was found that the witnesses had not actually witnessed the incidents and they were tutored and the affidavits were handed over to them by Setalvad.<ref name=economictimes/>

The report which was brought to the notice of the bench, consisting of Justices [[Arijit Pasayat]], P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam, noted that the much publicised case of a pregnant Muslim woman Kausar Banu being gangraped by a mob and foetus being removed from sharp weapons, was also cooked up and false.<ref name=toi/><ref name="inhuman">[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/89840/Inhuman%20rights.html?complete=1 Inhuman rights] India Today – 25 March 2010</ref>

==Popular culture==
[[T. V. Chandran]] made a trilogy of films based on the aftermaths of Gujarat riots. The trilogy consists of ''[[Kathavasheshan]]'' (2004), ''[[Vilapangalkkappuram]]'' (2008) and ''[[Bhoomiyude Avakashikal]]'' (2012). The narrative of all these films begin on the same day, 28 February 2002, that is, on the day after the Godhra train burning. The protagonist of ''Kathavasheshan'', after reading about the violent incidents that occurred during the riots, decides to commit suicide, "out of shame of being alive in India after Gujarat". The protagonist in ''Vilapangalkkappuram'' runs away from Gujarat on the same day after her family members are murdered, to seek refuge somewhere else. ''Bhoomiyude Avakashikal'' is about a Malayali youth who is driven away from Ahmadabad following the riots and who eventually loses his job and even his identity only to land up somewhere in Kerala where he lives in a [[Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer|Basheerian]] abode conversing with insects and animals.<ref>{{cite news|author=[[C. S. Venkiteswaran]]|date=4 October 2012|title=All things bright and beautiful...|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/all-things-bright-and-beautiful/article3965306.ece|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|publisher=[[The Hindu|thehindu.com]]|accessdate=28 October 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Dabgarwad Massacre]]
* [[Godhra train burning]]
* [[Best Bakery case]]
* [[Naroda Patiya massacre]]
* [[1969 Gujarat riots]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2563188.ece?homepage=true Amicus Curiae report lays the ground for chargesheeting Narendra Modi]
* [http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?sid=1&fodname=20020527&fname=Column+Balbir+%28F%29 Fiddling with Facts as Gujarat Burns] – Balbir Punj [http://www.hvk.org/specialrepo/guild/13.html Fiddling With Facts As Gujarat Burns]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,746174,00.html Destruction of Gujarat's Muslim heritage]
* [http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=3188 The full story of Kauser Bano]
* [http://mea.gov.in/opinion/2002/04/25o01.htm Truth in Gujarat] by Balbir Punj
* [http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/full_story.php?content_id=88976 Lalu panel calls Godhra an accident, what about flaming rags, ask victims]
* [http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/10/14/1410godhra-train-carnage-survivors.html Godhra train carnage survivor says he heard blast]
* [http://hrw.org/reports/2002/india/ “We Have No Orders To Save You”:State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat]- Human Rights Watch Report
* [http://www.saag.org/papers9/paper891.html Politics By Other Means: An Analysis of Human Rights Watch Reports on India] – Criticism of Human Rights Watch Report, Guest column for the [[South Asia Analysis Group]] [http://web.archive.org/web/20040203174742/http://www.saag.org/papers9/paper891.html Politics By Other Means: An Analysis of Human Rights Watch Reports on India]
* The leftist filmmaker Rakesh Sharma's documentary ''India: Final Solution''[http://www.berlinale.de/external/de/filmarchiv/doku_pdf/20042196.pdf Interview with Rakesh Sharma]. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/final-solution.shtml BBC profile of ''India: Final Solution''] http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3829364588351777769&q=final+solution&total=966&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
* [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020430/edit.htm#5 Foreign missions: undiplomatic leaks] – Allegations of anti-India media bias
* [http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/india_ayodhya/cover.html Time Cover Story on Gujarat Riots]
* [http://www.gujaratplus.com/riots_gal/ Pictures of Gujarat Riots]
* [http://www.outlookindia.com/dossiersind.asp?id=3&dn=Gujarat:%20Riots%20and%20Politics&sdid=0&sdn=&cp=11 Gujarat: Riots and Politics], ''[[Outlook (magazine)|Outlook]]'' dossier.
* [http://www.indianexpress.com/india-news/full_coverage.php?coverage_id=1 Gujarat Riots], ''[[Indian Express]]'' full coverage
* [http://www.rediff.com/news/godhra.html The Gujarat Riots], Rediff News
* [http://www.httabloid.com/news/611_0,001301170000.htm Gujarat Riots: The Aftermath], ''Hindustan Times''
* [http://rapidshare.com/files/71207623/GODHRA_RIOTS_-_JUSTICE_TEWATIA_REPORT.pdf.html Report on Godhra Riots], Justice Tewatia
* [http://dionnebunsha.com/scarred/ Scarred: Experiments with violence in Gujarat], Dionne Bunsha
* [http://www.gujaratriots.com Gujarat Riots: The True Story]

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book | title = The Gujarat Carnage | author = Agsar Ali Engineer | publisher = Orient Longman | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-81-250-2496-5}}
* {{cite book | title = The Black Book of Gujarat | author = M. L. Sondhi, Apratim Mukarji | year = 2002 | publisher = Manak Publications | isbn = 978-81-7827-060-9 }}
* {{cite book | title = Gujarat, the Making of a Tragedy | author = Siddharth Varadarajan | year = 2002 | publisher = Penguin Books | isbn = 978-0-14-302901-4}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2002 Gujarat violence}}
[[Category:History of Gujarat (1947-present)]]
[[Category:2002 in India]]
[[Category:2002 riots]]
[[Category:Persecution of Muslims]]
[[Category:Riots and civil disorder in India]]
[[Category:Religious riots]]
[[Category:Religious violence in India]]
[[Category:Mass murder in 2002]]
[[Category:Attacks on places of worship]]
[[Category:2002 Gujarat violence]]

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