26/08/2025
Innocence and pain
The Godhra riots of 2002 refer to the communal violence that followed the burning of a train coach near Godhra station in Gujarat on 27 February 2002, which killed 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. The incident triggered large-scale riots across Gujarat, resulting in the deaths of over 1,000 people, mostly from the Muslim community, along with widespread destruction of homes, businesses, and displacement of thousands. The riots remain one of the darkest chapters in modern Indian history, raising questions about communal harmony, law and order, and state accountability.