Farooq Bhana, the main conspirator in the Godhra train burning case, was arrested by the Gujarat ATS on Wednesday. Bhana was absconding since February 2002 when the Sabarmati Express was set on fire near Godhra station.
According to the Anti-Terrorism Squad officials, Bhana was a corporator in Godhra when the incident took place. To evade arrest, he then moved to Mumbai where he became a property broker.
"Based on a tip-off, we nabbed Bhana at a toll plaza near Kalol town of Panchmahal district when he was going to Godhra from Mumbai today. He was the key conspirator of Godhra carnage," an ATS official said.
In the FIR, Bhana was charged with conspiracy to put the S-6 coach on fire during a meeting with others accused at the Aman Guest House near Godhra Railway Station.
Bhana, along with another corporator Bilal Haji, allegedly instructed the others accused to put the train coach on fire as per the instruction received from Maulana Umerji, who was arrested as a mastermind behind the incident but was later released.
On February 27, 2002, a mob had attacked the Sabarmati Express and had set it on fire. Nearly 60 passengers were killed in the train burning incident. The train attack had triggered widespread riots in Gujarat in which over 1,000 people were killed.
In February 2011, a special court had convicted 31 persons for the train burning incident. Out of the 31, eleven were awarded death penalty, while 20 were given life term.
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