PANDARWADA, India, March 21 (UPI) -- The discovery of the remains of 26 people in India's Gujarat state has revived memories of the horror of the 2002 Hindu-Muslim sectarian violence in the state.
The discovery made in December once again has stirred tensions over how officials in the Hindu-led state handled the violence that erupted after reports that a Muslim mob set fire to a train in February 2002, killing 59 Hindu pilgrims, reports The New York Times.
Police say the remains found in a garbage dump near the town of Pandarwada were dug up illegally by those who want to disturb the peace. But they don't dispute they are those of 26 Muslim men and women hacked to death in March 2002 in a reprisal measure, the report said. The violence in the state lasted for days leaving at least 1,000 dead, most of them Muslims, the report said.
Police say they had the bodies buried as no one came to claim them. But some relatives dispute that claim.
Gujarat's Chief Minister Narendra Modi has come under criticism for not doing enough to stop the violence. Recently, a government finding said the March 2002 train fire was not deliberately set but was the result of an accident.
