Narendra Modi ordered the 2002 Gujarat riots
| Narendra Modi ordered the 2002 Gujarat riots | |
|---|---|
| UNSUPPORTED | |
| "As chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi directly ordered or organized the anti-Muslim violence of 2002." | |
| Domain | Crime & Public Safety |
| Tactic | Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 2002 |
| Origin | Allegations by victims, activists and some former officials, repeated in India and abroad since 2002 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-30 |
| Further reading: books on Crime & Public Safety | |
On February 27, 2002, a fire on a train at Godhra, Gujarat, killed 59 Hindu pilgrims. Days of violence followed, mainly against Muslims. Official figures put the death toll at 1,044, including 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus; human rights groups estimated it was higher, possibly around 2,000. Narendra Modi was Gujarat's chief minister.
Modi has been accused of directing or deliberately allowing the violence. Investigations ordered by India's Supreme Court did not find evidence to prosecute him, though questions about the state's response remain contested.
What the evidence shows
- Special Investigation Team. A team appointed by the Supreme Court, led by former CBI director R. K. Raghavan, reported in 2012 that it found no prosecutable evidence against Modi. The court's own amicus curiae, Raju Ramachandran, had argued that some charges could proceed to trial.
- Supreme Court. In June 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition by Zakia Jafri, widow of a former MP killed in the riots, that challenged the team's findings.
- Criticism of the state. A 2002 British Foreign Office report, revealed in a 2023 BBC documentary, said Modi was "directly responsible" for a "climate of impunity." The United States revoked his visa in 2005 under religious freedom law. Many rioters were later convicted, including a former Gujarat minister, Maya Kodnani, whose conviction was overturned on appeal in 2018.
Why it matters
Whether the state failed to stop the violence and whether its leader ordered it are different questions. Courts have closed the second for lack of evidence, while the first remains a subject of serious criticism.
Sources
- Supreme Court of India, Zakia Ahsan Jafri v. State of Gujarat, judgment of June 24, 2022.
- Special Investigation Team, closure report on the Gulberg Society case, February 2012.
- BBC, India: The Modi Question, documentary, January 2023.