AN INDIAN court today convicted 31 people on conspiracy and murder charges over the deadly train fire in 2002 that triggered riots in Gujarat, in which 2,000 people were killed.
The unrest was sparked after 59 Hindu pilgrims perished in a train fire at Godhra station in Gujarat.
Special public prosecutor JM Panchal told reporters outside the court in Ahmedabad: “31 people have convicted under conspiracy and murder charges, 63 others have been acquitted.”
A total of 94 people, all Muslims, stood trial for causing the train blaze.
Previously one national inquiry concluded the fire was an accident, though other official investigations contradicted that finding.
“The court has accepted the conspiracy theory. It was not an accident,” Panchal said, adding sentences would be handed down on Friday (February 25).
Extra police were on duty across Gujarat to prevent any outbreak of violence in the wake of the verdicts, which came after the trial concluded in September.
Authorities also banned television stations and newspapers from broadcasting or printing the many graphic images taken during the riots to avoid stirring up religious tension.
