New Delhi, March 2
The Gujarat government has in a report to the Centre said the ISI of Pakistan was involved in fomenting communal violence and five Pakistani nationals were spotted in a mosque in Godhra on the day of the macabre train incident on February 27.

Well placed sources here said the state government and the Central agencies had subsequently raided the mosque but the Pakistani nationals had fled by then.

A massive combing operation has been launched in Gujarat to trace the five individuals, who are believed to be hiding somewhere within the state, sources said.

Sources said the Station Superintendent of Godhra is also being questioned, and added that the role of the Guard of the ill-fated Sabarmati Express is also being probed.

The state police and the Central agencies are following certain leads arising out of the questioning of some individuals who were picked up from the spot and are hoping to stumble upon some significant evidence pointing towards the direct involvement of ISI in the communal carnage.

Sources said several questions have emerged after the preliminary investigation, the answers to which hold the key to nailing the culprits.

The ill-fated train is believed to have pulled up at Godhra station at 7.43 a.m. on February 27. After waiting for five minutes, it pulled along for about 700 metres when stones were pelted at the rear portion of the train. Within moments, somebody pulled the chain bringing the train to a screeching halt and a huge crowd armed with swords, petrol cans, acid bulbs and lathis emerged from the vicinity and rushed towards the train.

The kar sevaks, most of them travelling in the sleeper-class bogey S-6 had bolted the doors from inside. It is believed that the angry mob poured petrol over bogies and set it afire. Fiftyseven persons were killed as four bogies were torched by the mob, sources said.

Sources said the investigating agencies are now veering round to the view that every detail was planned earlier and at least one perpetrator of the carnage must have boarded the train at some point, possibly at the Godhra station. This was critical, as it facilitated the pulling of the chain to bring the train to a halt at the location closest to where the armed crowd was waiting to flare up a major communal clash.