to be "most extensive, exhaustive and scientific". It said that the report would put an end to all theories which claim the burning of the train was an accident and that the fire broke out from inside. Vishwa Hindu Parishad also welcomed the report. Its international secretary Pravin Togadia said that the report has established that Godhra train carnage was a "pre-planned attack." The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian National Congress both objected to the exoneration of the Gujarat government by the commission, citing the timing of the report (with the general elections months away) as evidence of unfairness. Congress spokesperson Veerappa Moily commented at the strange absolvement of the Gujarat government for complacency for the carnage before the commission's second and final report had been brought out. The CPI (M) said that the report reinforced communal prejudices. The commission has come in for heavy criticism from academics such as Christophe Jaffrelot for obstructing the course of justice, supporting the conspiracy theory too quickly, and for allegedly ignoring evidence of governmental complicity in the incident. The Concerned Citizens Tribunal (CCT), headed by Teesta Setalvad, carried out a separate investigation in 2002 and concluded that the fire had been accidental, stating that the attack by a mob was part of a government conspiracy to trigger violence across the state. Several other independent commentators have also concluded that the fire itself was almost certainly an accident, saying that the initial cause of the blaze would not ever be determined. The Nanavati-Shah Commission findings explicitly contradict these views. Court verdict In February 2011, the trial court convicted 31 people and acquitted 63 others for conspiring to murder, saying the incident was a "pre-planned conspiracy." All of those convicted were Muslims. The judgement rested in part on the findings of the Nanavati-Shah Commission; however, Maulvi Umarji, presented by the commission as the chief conspirator, was cleared of all charges along with 62 others for insufficient evidence. References External links Report of the Commission of Inquiry Consisting of Justice Nanavati and Justice Mehta 2002 establishments in Gujarat 2002 Gujarat riots Indian commissions and inquiries Public inquiries in India