The train fire was the trigger for state-wide riots

Fifty-nine Hindus died in the fire, in the state of Gujarat.

An inquiry appointed by Mr Yadav said on Monday that the fire was an accident. Most previous reports said a Muslim mob set fire to the train.

The incident, in 2002, set off days of rioting in Gujarat state.

Official figures said at least 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, died.

Human rights groups put the toll much higher.

'Electoral gains'

The Election Commission warned Mr Yadav - who champions himself as a representative of poor people and Muslims - not to use the enquiry's conclusions for political purposes.

Laloo Prasad Yadav sees himself as champion of the poor and minorities

"Tough action will be taken if our patience is tested too much. Political parties should desist from using administrative documents for electoral gains," the chief Election Commissioner, T S Krishnamurthy, said.

Mr Krishnamurthy said using the report during election campaigns was a violation of the code of conduct enforced before elections.

Mr Yadav is currently campaigning in Bihar for state elections due to be held in a month's time. His wife, Rabri Devi, succeeded him as chief minister of the state after he was removed from office following corruption allegations.

The railway minister's Rashtriya Janata Dal party is locked in battle with the Samata - or socialist party - of the Bihar-based former railways minister Nitish Kumar. The Samata party is an ally of India's right wing Bharatiya Janata Party, which has denounced the findings of the Godhra incident as a disgrace.

Tough action will be taken if our patience is tested too much Chief Election Commissioner, T S Krishnamurthy

Mr Yadav said he was only using press releases of the report for campaigning purposes, and that all his material was already in the public domain.

But he said he would now "consider" the issue since the election commission had raised it.

In December, the Election Commission said it had begun legal proceedings against Mr Yadav, following complaints that he had unlawfully distributed money to his supporters during a rally in Bihar.