Banerjee had told this magazine he was convinced that the prevailing theory put out by the Nanavati-Shah commission—that 60 litres of inflammable material were used to set the train ablaze—was not factual. To quote Justice Banerjee: "From the evidence I have on record, it is impossible that 60 litres of inflammable material could have been thrown into a coach full of kar sevaks with trishuls...who did not react at all!" The former Supreme Court judge said that he had conducted tests, trying to throw water inside a coach through the windows. Only 10 per cent went inside.
The final report sticks to the conclusion that the fire was an accident and that there was no conspiracy behind the blaze that killed 59 people, mainly kar sevaks returning home from Ayodhya. The report also comes down heavily on the Gujarat government as well as the then railway minister Nitish Kumar.
The commission’s report has sparked off a major controversy. The bjp and the vhp are crying foul, alleging the report was politically motivated to let those behind the fire "off the hook". Already the move to table the report in Parliament has met with stiff opposition and the Gujarat HC, in an interim order, has directed the central government not to table it. The court is hearing a petition challenging the setting up of the Banerjee Commission when the Nanavati-Shah Commission is already inquiring into the Godhra fire and the riots that followed. Needless to say, the truth about the Godhra fire continues to be shrouded in mystery.
