On Friday, in a meeting with the actors and crew of “The Sabarmati Report”, a movie based on the February 27, 2002, Godhra train burning event, Union Home minister Amit Shah congratulated them “for their courage to narrate the truth”.
In a post on X, Shah stated, “The film exposes the lies and misleading facts to unveil the truth that was suppressed for a long time to meet political interests”. The post put out photographs of Shah’s meeting with important members of the film’s crew at his North Block Office.
The film which was distributed by Zee Studies and produced by Balaji Motion Pictures, features Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna, and Riddhi Dogra. It is directed by Dheeraj Sarna. Shah’s post follows other BJP-ruled states that declared the movie tax-free. These states are MP, Rajasthan, UP, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh.
The Sabarmati Express near Godhra railway station in Gujarat was destroyed by fire in 2002, killing 59 Hindu pilgrims and Kar Sevaks on their way back from Ayodhya. In Gujarat, the incident had led to communal violence. The fire was declared an accident in the findings of a panel that was established by Lalu Prasad Yadav, the railway minister at the time. Nonetheless, in March 2011, the trial court convicted 31 persons, sentencing 11 to death and 20 to life imprisonment. In October 2017, Gujarat High Court upheld the convictions but commuted to death sentence of 11 of life imprisonment. Several appeals against Gujarat HC are pending in Supreme Court.
