A mob lit a coach of Sabarmati Express on fire at Godhra station in Panchmahal district of Gujarat in 2002. The incident led to the death of 59 ‘karsevaks.’ The prime accused in the matter Rafiq Hussain Bhatuk(51), was arrested from Godhra town, on Monday.
Bhatuk was a member of the core group involved in the criminality. He has spent the last 19 years in hiding. Based on a tip, the police raided a house in the Signal Falia area on Sunday night and picked up Bhatuk.
The Godhra train coach fire of February 27, 2002, was one of the incidents that provoked the worst communal riots that took place in Gujarat.
