Truth coming out: PM praises ‘The Sabarmati Report’, film on Godhra train burning

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the film ‘The Sabarmati Report’, which focuses on the events leading up to the Godhra train tragedy in 2002. Praising the film for “revealing the truth” behind the incident, PM Modi said that a “fake narrative can only persist for a limited period of time”.
“It is good that this truth is coming out, and that too in a way common people can see it,” PM Modi said while praising the film starring Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna and Ridhi Dogra, among others.
PM Modi made the remark while responding to an X user’s take on the film. The user, in his review, called the movie a must-watch, adding that the makers had done a commendable job in revealing the truth behind the 2002 Godhra tragedy, in which 59 people, including women and kids lost their lives.
The film, directed by Dheeraj Sarna, delved into the 2002 tragedy which led to riots in several parts of Gujarat. Starring Vikrant Massey, the film released on November 15. The X user, in his short review, said that the makers handled the issue with a lot of sensitivity and dignity.
He also claimed that the incident was politicised by a “vested interest group” which used it as an opportunity to “tarnish the image of one leader”.
On the morning of February 27, 2002, the Sabarmati Express arrived at Godhra railway station in Gujarat at its scheduled timing. The train, running from Muzaffarpur in Bihar to Ahmedabad in Gujarat, carried hundreds of passengers, including a significant number of karsevaks—Hindu volunteers returning from a religious gathering in Ayodhya.
As the train departed from Godhra, the driver reported that the emergency chains were pulled multiple times, causing the train to halt near the station’s outer signal. What followed was an attack: a mob, reportedly numbering around 2,000 people, pelted stones at the train and set four of its coaches on fire.
The S-6 coach was worst affected, and the fire claimed 59 lives, including 27 women and 10 children. Another 48 passengers sustained injuries in the attack.
The tragedy at Godhra ignited communal riots across Gujarat starting February 28, 2002. Despite claims by the state government to control the violence within three days, the unrest persisted for weeks, with sporadic clashes continuing for up to three months.
However, a Supreme Court-appointed investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by PM Modi, who was Chief Minister of Gujarat when riots broke out in 2002.
The Godhra train fire and the subsequent Gujarat riots remain a defining moment in India’s modern history, marked by intense communal strife and significant socio-political repercussions.