Godhra: VHP files plea to summon Banerjee panel Thursday, June 30 2005 17:12 Hrs (IST) - World Time -
Ahmedabad:
The VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) today (Jun 30, 2005) filed an application before the Godhra Commission seeking to summon for cross-examination the four members of the Railway Ministry-appointed Justice U C Banerjee Commission probing the certain aspects of the train carnage.
The application was filed by advocates representing the VHP where in they sought the four members of the high-powered technical committee to be summoned before the Nanavati-Shah Commission for cross-examination.
This application would come up for hearing on July 2, VHP advocate Deepak Shukla told sources in Ahmedabad.
"This application was filed as the Nanavati-Shah panel has already summoned and cross-examined several agencies, including Railways police and forensic experts in connection
with the train carnage and riots that erupted after that. So the U C Banerjee panel should also be cross examined", the VHP advocate said.
The commitee, comprising U C Banerjee and three other experts on various aspects about Railways, were constituted to investigate the technical aspects about the mysterious fire
that broke out inside the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati express train on February 27, 2002, killing 59 kar sevaks.
The committee, formed in September 2004, had on January 17 this year given its preliminary findings wherein, it "Ruled out the conspiracy theory of the Gujarat Government" and that the "Fire was an accidental one."