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All-party delegation shaken
by Gujarat tour

The delegation was in Gujarat for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation following the communal violence after the attack on the Sabarmati Express.

The members walked through the remains of the torched coach of the Sabarmati Express, which was attacked on February 27 leading to the death of 58 persons.

"It was the most horrific and inhuman act," a visibly moved Sonia Gandhi said after seeing the burnt coaches at Godhra railway station.

The delegation, which included Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, also visited the local hospital in Godhra and inquired about the condition of the victims recovering from stab and burn wounds.

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) said that people were still fearful and apprehensive about their security.

Singh and C M Ibrahim told reporters in Ahmedabad that the victims in the hospital were 'still tense and in trauma'.

Describing the incident as 'an inhuman tragedy', Congress member Kapil Sibal ruled out any conspiracy.

Several delegations of Hindu and Muslim communities also met the delegation and narrated how the violence erupted.

Former Union minister of state for commerce Shanti Patel blamed the administration for 'failing' to take appropriate measures to deal with the situation.

The delegation was also given a briefing by J N Singh, a senior state government official in Panchmahal district, about the steps taken by the administration to tackle the situation in the district.

Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M), G M Banatwala (Muslim League), Shivraj Patil (Congress) and Jaya Jaitley (Samata) were also part of the delegation.

PTI

The Sabarmati in Flames: Complete Coverage

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