Ahmedabad: The former investigation officer of the Sabarmati Express train carnage case at Godhra railway station was "unsure" of answers to various questions put to him today (June 29, 2004) during his cross-examination before the two-man riot probe panel.

The retired official, K C Bawa, Dy SP (Retd) Railway police (Ahmedabad division) who had probed the sensational case for three months since the incident occurred on February 27, 2002, was asked the panel comprising justice (retd) G T Nanavati and justice (retd) K G Shah if he knew from which side did the fire fighters begin dousing the flames as soon as they arrived.

Bawa said he was unsure as to from which side the fire fighters had begun their task of dousing the flames and also was unsure when asked if all the doors of the ill-fated S-6 bogey were open when it was torched.

When asked by advocate Mukul Sinha of the Jan Sangarsh Manch whether any witness, who survived the carnage had seen anybody entering the coach and pouring an inflammable liquid, Bawa said no witness had stated this when he was probing the matter.

Bawa, however, told later, "The probe conducted by me indicates that someone from outside entered the coach and set it ablaze."

To another question whether he was aware that the sliding door between coach S-6 and S-7 was broken or tampered with during the incident, Bawa said he was unsure of this too and that nothing had emerged from investigating the coach too.

Bawa also said that as per the Forensic Science laboratory report the fire in the S-6 coach originated from near the toilet and was eastwards.

Sinha also grilled Bawa about the chain pulling that caused the train to stop once after it started from Godhra station and also about the second time the train halted (when it was stoned and torched).

Bawa said that as per records the train arrived at Godhra station at 7:40 am and left the station by 7:45 am and the chain was pulled at 7:47 am. He added that the chain pulling occurred from four coaches and investigation proved that it was done by some karsevaks as some of them were left behind on the platform.

Bawa added that the second time the train stopped was not because of chain pulling but because the brake hose pipe was broken by someone.

Bawa, however was at loss of words and official explanation when asked how did the S-6 and S-7 coaches reach the railway yard the next day.