More than 120 Godhra accused are detained in the Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad. Since 2002, they have been waiting for the trial to proceed. The Supreme Court has stayed the trial on the plea of activists who are demanding that the trial be shifted outside Gujarat.

One of the accused, Maulvi Umerji, and other fellow influential detainees are keen to shift the trial outside Gujarat. But there are about 50 accused who are too poor to fight their case. They claim they were merely onlookers.

In off-the-record conversations, police officials agree many of the detainees were innocent bystanders.

As reported earlier by rediff.com, it is a tragedy of the Godhra trial that people who may have been part of the mob -- in the days to follow, more than 1.2 million people were part of mobs when the riots broke out -- but not part of the greater conspiracy of the carnage, are facing terrorism charges.

The investigators know that except for about 30 of the accused detainees, who form the core group and who allegedly planned the torching of the compartment, the others are not 'conspirators' but 'miscreants.'

Defence lawyer Sinha alleged before the Nanavati Commission that the S-6 compartment was accidentally burnt when a row took place over the abduction of a Muslim girl by kar sevaks and when a Muslim tea vendor was bullied by kar sevaks when he asked them to pay up.

The two incidents, Sinha argued, led to an altercation that led to panic as word spread in the nearby Signal Falia.

From there, a large crowd gathered outside the S-6 compartment. The crowd was led to believe that militant Hindus had abducted a Muslim girl.

At this point, Justice Shah asked Sinha: "So you want to say that in the early winter morning more than 500 to 1,000 people gathered with arms in five minutes because a girl was abducted?"

Sinha was taken aback. He responded with a counter-question: "Sir, is it a suggestion or a question?"

Image: Justice G T Nanavati

Also see:
Interpol notice against key Godhra accused

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