Attack
On the 27th of February, the Sabarmati Express made its scheduled stop at Godhra about 4 hours late, at 7:43 am. As it started leaving the platform, the emergency brake was engaged by members of the mob, bringing the train to a halt. The coupling between the bogies S-6 and S-7 was subsequently cut and the doors of the bogeys were locked from outside, preventing the kar Sevak from escaping. The bogeys were then set on fire. While the passengers in S-7 managed to extinguish the flames and get out of the compartment, those trapped in S-6 were unable to escape and were burnt to death. The occupants of S-7 were then confronted by the violent mob outside and some were killed. The whole attack lasted about 25 minutes.
A few hours later, at 11:00 am on 27 February 2002, Sabarmati Express passengers and police were attacked for a second time near line number 10 of Godhra railway yard. As a result, seven policemen were injured. Two people were killed in police firing.
Read more about this topic: Godhra Train Burning
Famous quotes containing the word attack:
“Scandal is an importunate wasp, against which we must make no movement unless we are quite sure that we can kill it; otherwise it will return to the attack more furious than ever.”
—Sébastien-Roch Nicolas De Chamfort (1741–1794)
“Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last. To pluck the mask from the face of the Pharisee is not to lift an impious hand to the Crown of Thorns.”
—Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855)
“Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.”
—Sun Tzu (6th–5th century B.C.)