Report on 2002 fire absurd: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday dismissed as "absurd" a railway panel report that the fire that killed 59 kar sewaks travelling in the Sabarmati Express in 2002 was an accident, alleging that the inquiry committee appointed by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad lacked credibility.

"This report is absurd and is devoid of any logic," BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar told PTI as Justice U C Banerjee's findings ruled out what the party claims was an arson attack on the kar sewaks when they arrived at Godhra in the Sabarmati Express in 2002.

"Even if it is assumed for a moment that the fire was accidental, as the report says, then kar sewaks in that case could have fled the coach," he added. Javadekar alleged that Banerjee's final report on the train fire was a reproduction of the panel's interim findings of last year.

The BJP leader also accused the Railway Minister of having "unsuccessfully" used the same interim report ahead of Bihar elections in 2005. "The committee was constituted with political motives by Lalu Prasad whose party used the Gujarat incidents as its main election plank.

The results of the report are too therefore politically motivated," Javadekar said. The BJP, he added, was instead waiting for a court verdict on the Godhra train fire.