‘Father’s head burnt with acid, mother lost sanity and attempted suicide’: Family of 2002 Godhra carnage victim narrates ordeal

A total of 31 Muslims were found guilty of setting the Sabarmati Express on fire, which claimed the lives of 59 Hindus (mostly women and children).

22 years after a frenzied Muslim mob set fire to the Sabarmati Express in Godhra and killed 59 Hindu pilgrims, a newly released documentary by Swarajya highlighted the tragedy that befell the fate of the families of the victims.

Ashok Prajapathi, whose father was one of the 59 Hindus killed by a Muslim mob in February 2002, narrated, “When my father was climbing the stairs, they not only poured petrol but also used acid.”

He informed, “The entire flesh of his head melted away due to acid. I didn’t have courage to see my father’s body. But on cremation ground, when I inspected my father’s body, I collected the remains of my father’s brain.”

“Look at my mother. Otherwise, there are no problems. Due to my father’s death, she lost her sanity. She wanted to commit suicide. These thoughts occur at times,” Prajapati narrated the emotional toll of the 2022 Godhramassacre

He added, “As you’ve asked, how do I feel? Not everyone understands… Parents are parents while children remain the same.

“We don’t leave her alone, but she feels loneliness because her life partner is no more. She lost her mental balance,” Ashok Prajapati lamented.

A total of 31 Muslims were found guilty of setting the Sabarmati Express on fire, which claimed the lives of 59 Hindus (mostly women and children). 11 of them were handed the death penalty by a special fast-track court on March 1, 2011.

Their names include Abdul Razzak Kurkur, Ismail Suleja, Jabbir Binyamin Behra, Ramzani Binyamin Behra, Mehboob Hassan, Siraj Bala, Irfan Kalandar, Irfan Patadia, Hassan Lalu, Mehboob Chanda, & Salim Zarda.

Their death penalty was later commuted to a life sentence in October 2017. Among the convicted, the other 20 were awarded life sentences.

They included Suleman Ahmad Hussain, Abdul Rehman Abdul Majid Dhantiya, Kasim Abdul Sattar, Irfan Siraj Pado Ghanchi, Anwar Mohmmad Mehda, Siddik, Mehboob Yakub Mitha, Soheb Yusuf Ahmed Kalandar, Saukat, Siddik Mohmmad Mora, Abdul Sattar Ibrahim Gaddi Asla, Abdul Rauf Abdul Majid Isa, Yunus Abdulhaq Samol, Ibrahim Abdul Razak Abdul Sattar Samol, Saukat Yusuf Ismail Mohan, Bilal Abdullah Ismail Badam Ghanchi, Farook, Ayub Abdul Gani Ismail Pataliya, Saukat Abdulah Maulvi Isamail Badam, Md Hanif.

As evident from the names, the extremists who burnt the train and charred 59 Hindu pilgrims to death belonged to the Muslim community despite attempts by leftist propaganda outlets to absolve them of any wrongdoing.