NEW DELHI: An Indian court Tuesday convicted 31 people of setting on fire a train with Hindu devotees in western Gujarat state in 2002 which had set off some of the country's worst religious riots since independence. The train was carrying devotees returning from the site of a mosque in northern India that was demolished by Hindu mobs in 1992. The special court in Gujarat ruled that the accused had conspired to torch it, killing 59 people, prosecutor J.M. Panchal said. More than 2,500 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in subsequent riots. The court's decision appears to back the stance of the main opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has long argued the train was deliberately set on fire to provoke the riots. The BJP rules Gujarat state. The verdict comes at a time when the BJP has stepped up its campaign against the Congress-led government over corruption and high food prices, and has forced the government to accept a cross-party probe into a massive telecoms corruption case. Following the riots, the United States refused to issue a visa to Narendra Modi, the state's business-friendly chief minister. The Indian Supreme Court condemned his government as “modern-day Neros” who allowed killings with impunity. The BJP, which denies any role in the riots, welcomed the verdict saying it put to rest arguments the fire was accidental and was used as an excuse by Hindu hardliners for the riots. “It was a targeted killing,” said BJP leader Prakash Javadekar, “This conspiracy was done to inflame the passions amongst the Hindus and Muslims, with the intention riots will follow and that is what exactly happened.” The court will sentence the guilty on Friday.
