Atulit Chaudhary

39. The Commission did not feel it necessary to get translated whole reports published in Gujarati as they contain other details relating to the incident. Only the main parts thereof are translated in English. The report in Gujarat Samachar was, “….Today as certain fanatic elements set on fire with petrol four coaches of the train 57 males, females and children were burnt alive because of the fire which had spread inside the coach and 43 persons had received serious injuries.” In ‘Sandesh’ daily the report was, “Today in the morning a monstrous mob of more than 500 having set on fire coaches overcrowded with passengers and more particularly by the Hindu devotees returning after attending Ram Yagna in Ayodhya more than sixty persons were burnt alive.” “Today in the morning at some distance from Godhra railway station, as previously planned, Sabarmati Express train tightly overcrowded with passengers, a violent mob of more than 500 persons having set on fire coaches full of Hindu devotees more than 60 persons were burnt alive. In the report published in ‘Jai Hind’ what has been stated is “Attack on the train at Godhra. Sixty burnt alive.” It is further stated that according to the information available, the Sabarmati Express train was surrounded by a mob and it was stonned from all the four sides. Moreover, young persons who had come with weapons had caused damage to the coaches of the train and had made an attempt to set them on fire. On the front page of ‘The Times of India’ the report was “The train was stopped near Signal Falia, a notorious area of Godhra, as someone apparently pulled the chain. A mob rushed towards the two coaches (S/6 and S/7), pelting stones initially. Once the windows were broken, they threw petrol bombs inside.” “Said survivers, the S/6 coach was douze with petrol and diesel from outside and set fire even as the passengers cried on helplessly screaming for help.” In the “Indian Express” also the report was that “Almost all the dead were inside the S-6 carriage, which was set ablaze by a mob that witnesses said was throwing stones, smashing window panes with iron rods, and puring petrol and lobbing burning rags inside. ‘The Asian Age’ had reported: “As the train left the station after the routin stop, the emergency chain was pulled