Life in jail for prime accused in Godhra train carnage case

Vadodara: Rafik Bhatuk, a prime accused in the 2002 Sabarmati Express carnage case, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Saturday by a special court in Godhra, Panchmahal. Bhatuk was nabbed from Godhra in February 2021 nearly 19 years after the incident that happened on February 27, 2002.
On that day, 59 Ramsevaks who were returning from Ayodhya were killed when the S-6 coach of the train was set ablaze after dousing it with petrol. The carnage triggered communal riots across the state.
The special court of sessions judge H P Mehta pronounced Bhatuk guilty on Saturday. Special public prosecutor R C Kodekar said that Bhatuk was awarded life imprisonment. He added that Bhatuk was the 35th accused in the case to be held guilty. As many as 31 accused were held guilty in March 2011 by a special court. This was followed by the conviction of two accused in 2018 and one in 2019. The special operations group (SOG) of the Panchmahal police and Godhra town police had nabbed Bhatuk from the Signal Falia locality in the town in February last year. He used to sell fruits to earn a living.