Delhi riots were a failed attempt at recreating 2002’s Gujarat Train burning model
There are quite a lot of conclusions and similarities that can be drawn from both the events that although took place almost 2 decades apart, were aimed at mass murders of one single majority community. Especially when the convicts and the planning procedures are taken into consideration, it feels more of a dejavu.
With the victory of UPA government in 2004, the Congress Party’s presence straight up affected the investigations of the case and the court rulings as several convicts of Godhra Train burning were given a clean chit while the whole incident been labeled as an ‘accidental fire’.
But what the investigations were leading to is the main focus. Starting with the chief suspect Haji Bilal, who a local town councilor and a Congress worker, was captured by an anti-terrorist squad in Godhra. His arrest not only indicated Congress’s involvement in the riots but also to a whole nexus of how Congress wanted to mass murder Hindus.
The FIR had alleged that a 1540-strong mob attacked the Sabarmati Express on 27 February, minutes after the delayed train left the Godhra station on the day of the incident. The president of Godhra municipality, Mohammed Hussain Kalota, was arrested in March. Others arrested included corporators Abdul Razak and Shiraj Abdul Jamesha.
Congress worker Bilal was also known to have a connection with gang leader Latif and was reported to have visited Karachi in Pakistan several times. Here the conclusion was drawn that Pakistan as well as Congress funded the initiation of riots.
In the reports by Nanavati High Commission that was set up to investigate the incident, Maulvi Husain Haji Ibrahim Umarji, a cleric in Godhra, and a dismissed Central Reserve Police Force officer named Nanumiyan were presented as the “masterminds” behind the operation and indicated towards the involvement of Muslims even from the Police/Army.
But later by UPA, everything was dismissed and the claimed of ‘Accidental fire’ were hailed under the Banerjee investigation set up by the UPA.
It was in 2015 after the BJP government came into power that on 24 July 2015, the prime accused in the Godhra case, Hussain Suleman Mohammad, was arrested by the Godhra crime branch from Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh.
On 18 May 2016, a heretofore missing `conspirator’ of the event, Farooq Bhana, was Arrested from Mumbai by Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
On 30 January 2018, Yakub Pataliya (63) was arrested from Godhra by a team of B Division police in the town after they received a tip-off that he was spotted in a locality.
The proceedings of the North-east Delhi riots also have indicated towards the involvement of Congress, Aam Aadmi Party in the scenario as to how the riots unfolded and initiated. Although this time, it was a rather planned, deep rooted conspiracy under the face of anti-CAA protests. But at the end, like the failure of Congress party in the country, their planned riots too failed as the Forced caught hold and ended the riots withing 2 days before they spread to other parts of the nation.
