Gujrat: Train set on fire to recreate Godhra attack for PM Modi’s biopic

A train’s coach was set on fire on Sunday in Gujarat’s Vadodara to recreate the 2002 Godhra train burning for a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi which is expected to release before the general elections.

The burning train was part of a film shoot to re-create the attack on S6 coach of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002. The Western Railway and the Vadodara Fire Department had reportedly given permission to the producers of the biopic to shoot the scene.

On the morning of 27 February 2002, the Sabarmati Express was set on fire in which 59 people died in a fire inside train near the Godhra railway station in the Indian state of Gujarat.

The victims were Hindu pilgrims who were returning from the city of Ayodhya after a religious ceremony at the disputed Babri Masjid site. This triggered communal clashes between two communities and riots across the state took place.

The train was attacked by a mob of around 2,000 people. After some stone-pelting, four coaches of the train were set alight, trapping many people inside. 59 people including 27 women and 10 children were burnt to death, and 48 others were injured.

The biopic “captures the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said an executive of the production company. The biopic titled PM Narendra Modi is directed by Omung Kumar and will feature Vivek Oberoi in the titular role. It is slated for a release ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.