“The part one of the report is not supported by credible and independent evidence. Everything in it is based on police official Noel Parmar’s report which has been rejected by the Supreme Court,” Sinha told IANS Thursday.
“It is a travesty of justice as the accusations were made against the police in the post-Godhra riots and yet the very same police’s report has been used to bring out this report,” Sinha said.
“I am also surprised that (Chief Minister Narendra) Modi and his men have been given clean chit. It is clear that the Nanavati Commission is biased in favour of Modi,” Sinha said.
Asked if the report would be challenged, Sinha said: “The report has no legal implications whatsoever. It is just a piece of paper not binding on anyone and can be said to be only a political stunt.”
Father Cedric Prakash of the NGO Prashant, also a spokesperson of the Gujarat United Christian Forum for Human Rights, said the findings were on expected lines and this was obviously what was expected from a “Modi-fied” commission which did not look into “glaring and blaring” facts of the train-burning of Feb 27, 2002.
“The veracity of the report will be challenged,” Father Prakash told IANS, adding the timing of the report was suspect.
This is not the end of the story, especially when a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) was probing the communal carnage, Father Prakash said.
The commission of Justice (retd) G.T. Nanavati and Justice (retd) Akshay Mehta, probing the Godhra train burning tragedy, which claimed 59 lives, and ensuing communal violence, in which 1,167 people were killed, submitted its first report Sep 18. The state government tabled it in the assembly Thursday.
The panel held that the train-burning tragedy was not accidental but pre-planned.
(Source)
