Godhra train carnage convict dies of poor health in Vadodara

Haaji Bilal, one of the convicts in the infamous 2002 Sabarmati train carnage in the Godhra case, died of poor health at a hospital in Vadodara on Friday, said the police.

Speaking to the media, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Vadodara), AV Rajgor, said that Bilal was not keeping well for the past several years and died due to pre-existing health issues.

"Haaji Bilal was the convict of the Godhra case in 2002. He was punished with life imprisonment, he was in jail. He was hospitalised at the SSG Hospital on November 22 due to poor health. He has been remaining in poor health for the last 3 to 4 years," the ACP informed.

"He was on Oxygen support and he died this morning. His family has been informed about the same and they have reached here. The process of his postmortem is underway. Initially, it is clear that he died due to his pre-existing health issues," he added.

Around 58 people lost their lives when the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express was torched at the Godhra Railway Station on February 27, 2002.

The incident had triggered large scale riots in Gujarat in which around, reportedly, 1,000 people were killed.

( With inputs from ANI )