“I am not a VIP, I am a common man… I said I will give in writing that I will be responsible for whatever happens,” Modi shared, reflecting on the fateful day when he defied security advice to board a single-engine helicopter to reach Godhra, where the Sabarmati Express had been set on fire, killing 59 people — mostly women and children.
This tragedy is often considered the spark for the widespread Gujarat riots that followed, one of the most violent and controversial communal outbreaks in India’s modern history.
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Despite the devastating scenes that greeted him upon arrival, Modi explained that his role demanded a level of emotional detachment.
“I reached Godhra and I saw the painful scenes there…so many dead bodies. I am also a human, whatever had to happen to me did happen. But I was on such a post (Chief Minister), that I must be above my emotions and natural tendencies,” he said.
The Sabarmati Express, which was traveling from Ayodhya to Gujarat, was carrying karsewaks (Hindu pilgrims) returning from a religious gathering in Ayodhya. At Godhra station, a mob attacked the train, setting one of the carriages—S6—on fire.
But this wasn’t the only time Modi chose duty over safety. He also recalled the aftermath of the 2008 serial bomb blasts in Gujarat, which left the state reeling.
“I went to Police Control Room although my security people had said don’t go there. I came and sat in the car and said I will go to hospitals too, though my security said hospitals were vulnerable too as bombs had exploded at hospitals too. I said jo hoga woh hoga, mein jaunga (whatever may happen, I will go). I see it as a responsibility,” Modi said.
For the PM, being in high office has always meant staying above emotions, even in the face of adversity. He reflected on his most difficult test: the December 2002 Gujarat elections.
“In those elections, I did not see television when results were coming…around noon outside the CM house, I heard sounds of dhol. I had told people not to give me any information till noon. Then my operator told me I was ahead by two-thirds majority,” he recalled.
