On 27 February 2002 , a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was burned outside the town of Godhra , killing 59 people . The incident was seen as an attack upon Hindus , and sparked off massive anti-Muslim violence across the state of Gujarat that lasted several weeks . The death toll estimated was as high as 2000 , while 150,000 were displaced . Rape , mutilation , and torture were also widespread . The then-Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and several high-ranking government officials were accused of initiating and condoning the violence , as were police officers who allegedly directed the rioters and gave them lists of Muslim-owned properties . In April 2009 , a Special Investigation Team ( SIT ) was appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate and expedite the Gujarat riots cases . In 2012 , Modi was cleared of complicity in the violence by the SIT and BJP MLA Maya Kodnani , who later held a cabinet portfolio in the Modi government , was convicted of having orchestrated one of the riots and sentenced to 28 years imprisonment ; she was later acquitted by the Gujarat High Court . Scholars such as Paul Brass , Martha Nussbaum and Dipankar Gupta have said that there was a high level of state complicity in the incidents
train carrying Hindu pilgrims was burned
Godhra train burning
Bharatiya Janata Party