Asthana said forensic findings had established how the fire broke out & alleged that attempts to question the investigation's conclusions were being made "for political reasons."

Former Special Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Rakesh Asthana, who led the Gujarat Police SIT to probe the 2002 Godhra train burning incident, has disputed a claim made by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in her memoir about the case.

In her memoir, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, the former Congress president, while referring to the train tragedy, claimed that “the cause of the fire remains disputed". Responding to her account, Asthana maintained that the investigation had reached a conclusion.

In an interview with news agency ANI, the ex-CBI official said forensic findings had established how the fire broke out and alleged that attempts to question the investigation’s conclusions were being made “for political reasons."

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Gandhi described the burning of four coaches of the Sabarmati Express, in which 59 pilgrims lost their lives, as the incident that preceded the Gujarat riots.

‘Only 1 Coach Was Set On Fire, Not 4’: Asthana Refutes Sonia’s Claim About Godhra Tragedy

“The riots were triggered when four coaches of the Sabarmati Express were set on fire and 59 pilgrims died. The train was returning to the state capital Ahmedabad from Ayodhya, carrying Hindu karsevaks, volunteers for the Ram temple. The cause of the fire remains disputed, but the turmoil that followed spread to many parts of the state," she wrote.

Refuting the claim, Asthana called Gandhi’s remark “completely wrong". “The investigation is authentic. It has been proved in the court of law. Even now, if someone is creating doubt about it, then it is for political reasons; there can be no other explanation for it," he said.

Asthana also challenged the former Congress chief’s claim that four coaches were set on fire in the incident, saying he “disagreed" with the statement. The former police officer said that only one coach, the S6 bogie, was set ablaze, causing collateral damage to two other coaches.

“Investigations have been completed; conviction has been secured… It was an intentional fire caused by an inflammable liquid… I disagree with the statement that the cause of the fire is still uncertain. Secondly, only S6 bogie was targeted and set on fire…," he added.

Upon being asked whether the political reason is because of a certain “vote bank", he said, “All the people who died in Godhra were Hindus. And whoever’s death it may be – whether a Hindu’s, a Muslim’s, a Christian’s, or a Sikh’s – death is death, murder is murder. So we investigated it as a criminal act…"

What Had Happened In Godhra?

On February 27, 2002, a mob set fire to the Sabarmati Express, which was carrying Hindu karsevaks, killing 59 people, including women and children. The incident triggered communal violence across Gujarat, claiming hundreds of lives.

In 2011, a special court found 31 people guilty in the case. The Gujarat High Court later modified the verdict in 2014, upholding the convictions of 11 people while acquitting the remaining 20. The Supreme Court subsequently upheld the Gujarat HC’s verdict and dismissed the appeals filed by the convicts challenging their convictions.