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The Centre is in constant touch with the Gujarat government and trying to ascertain whether there was any other angle to Wednesday's attack on the Sabarmati Express, Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
"I am in constant touch with the Gujarat chief minister and am trying to find out who was behind the incident - if they were only the local residents or there was any other angle to it," Advani said, after leader of the opposition Sonia Gandhi demanded a statement from Advani.
Describing the matter as 'very serious', Advani said since that he felt the incident could have a fallout elsewhere, he took prompt action to ensure that communal harmony and law and order was maintained everywhere.
Stating that a judicial inquiry by a retired high court judge has been ordered into the incident, he said that stringent action would be taken against those responsible for the killing of 58 persons, including 25 women and 14 children.
"There can be no two opinions. No word can be too strong to condemn this incident," he said as the House was drowned in shouts of 'shame, shame' from the opposition benches and counter-shouts from the other side.
Advani said that so far 40 persons had been arrested in connection with the Godhra incident, which sparked off trouble in Ahmedabad, Anand and Vadodara leaving four persons dead.
He also said 43 persons, including nine women and three children, were injured in the Godhra incident.
Justifying the anguish in the minds of the members, the home minister said, "I can very well understand your concern."
He assured the House that after ascertaining full facts from the state government he would make a detailed statement on Friday.
"I am trying to find out from the chief minister if there is any other angle to the incident," he said.
Senior Congress member Shivraj Patil said that the situation in Gujarat was still very grave and it was going out of control of the state government and demanded that necessary action should be taken to deal with the situation.
The home minister then said that he was in touch with the chief minister and would ensure that necessary measures were taken to maintain communal harmony.
Earlier, delaying the budget presentation, BJP members from Uttar Pradesh Ram Nagina Mishra and Vinay Katiyar stormed into the well waving newspapers containing reports of the attack on Sabarmati Express.
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