Godhra accused jumps bail

In a setback to the special investigating team probing the Godhra train carnage, a key accused, Salim Jarda, jumped bail and escaped on Wednesday.

Jarda, who was arrested in Rajasthan in June, was granted bail for two days by a special POTA court to attend a religious ceremony at his home in Godhra town, a senior SIT official said.

This is the first time that an accused in Godhra train carnage has escaped by jumping bail. Four policemen of Ahmedabad city police, who were accompanying Jarda, have been arrested for negligence of duty.

Special IG Rakesh Asthana, who heads the SIT, said, "Before returning to Ahmedabad on Wednesday after completing his two-day temporary bail, Jarda requested the policemen that he wanted to meet his family." "When he was taken to his house, the cops stood outside instead of accompanying him inside," he said.

Jarda is a member of the 'core group' that torched the coach of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002, killing 59 Hindu activists.

Jarda was brought to Ahmedabad on a transfer warrant. So far, 102 people have been arrested in connection with the train carnage that triggered the worst communal frenzy in Gujarat's history.