An Indian government probe has concluded that the 2002 train fire that killed 59 Hindu pilgrims and triggered sectarian riots in India's western Gujarat state was an accident.
The four-member committee appointed to investigate the fire said it probably started inside the coach "without any external input." News reports at the time quoted witnesses as saying the fire was set by a Muslim mob. The allegations sparked a Hindu backlash that killed about 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.
The investigation was ordered by Railways Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav of the national government elected last year with support from Muslim voters. Gujarat's previous state government was led by Hindu nationalists who were accused of turning a blind eye to the riots.