{
  "id": 19952280,
  "title": "Godhra train fire was deliberate, Sonia Gandhi's memoir claim is wrong: Ex-CBI officer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/godhra-train-fire-was-deliberate-sonia-gandhis-memoir-claim-is-wrong",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-14T08:51:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/godhra-train-fire-was-deliberate-sonia-gandhis-memoir-claim-is-wrong-ex-cbi-officer/articleshow/135827139.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former CBI special director Rakesh Asthana has dismissed Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's statement in her memoir, stating that the cause of the 2002 Godhra train fire was not disputed. Speaking to ANI, Asthana emphasized that the investigation and court proceedings had concluded that the fire was deliberately set. He maintained that the findings of the Gujarat Police investigation, the Nanavati Commission, and the subsequent Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) were all in agreement. Asthana also rejected the notion that doubts about the fire were being raised for political gain, asserting that the victims were all Hindus and that the investigation treated the deaths as a criminal matter. The 59 people who died in the fire were returning from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad on the Sabarmati Express when it caught fire near Godhra station, triggering widespread communal violence that claimed hundreds more lives.",
  "summary": "Rakesh Asthana, the former CBI special director, rebutted Sonia Gandhi's memoir regarding the Godhra train fire's cause. He emphasized that investigations confirmed the fire was deliberately set, supported by court verdicts. The Nanavati Commission and the Supreme Court-appointed SIT reinforced the findings of the Gujarat Police investigation. During the 2002 incident, 59 people died when a train…",
  "key_points": [
    "Former CBI special director Rakesh Asthana claims Godhra train fire was deliberate.",
    "Sonia Gandhi's memoir statement on fire cause is incorrect, Asthana asserts.",
    "Investigation and court proceedings concluded fire was set intentionally."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Asthana’s rebuttal reinforces the legal consensus regarding the 2002 tragedy, framing the dispute as a challenge to established investigative findings rather than a legitimate questioning of the criminal facts.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}