Star Witness in Gujarat Riot Cases Exposes Conspiracy

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(Star Witness in Gujarat Riot Cases Exposes Conspiracy

NGOs and Media Behind Scheme to frame BJP Government

Investigations and Legal Charges Required)

 

Best Bakery trial: Zaheera recants

"She said she did not want to lie any further "as it is the holy

month of Ramzan".

 

November 03, 2004 15:41 IST

Last Updated: November 03, 2004 19:44 IST

 

 

A key witness in the Best Bakery case on Wednesday accused the

nongovernmental organisation that was helping her of "pressurising"

her into making statements and naming "innocent persons" during the

ongoing retrial of the case at a special court in Mumbai.

 

At a press conference, Zaheera Sheikh said she had filed an

affidavit before the collector of Gujarat's Vadodara

district "seeking protection from Teesta Setlvad and others of her

NGO while testifying in the retrial".

 

"Zaheera has filed an affidavit and we are looking into the matter.

She has said that her original testimony before the fast track court

in Vadodara was absolutely true and that Teesta was pressuring her

to name innocent persons as accused during the retrial," Vadodara

Police Commissioner S K Sinha said.

 

Zaheera said she was "forced into making false statements by my own

people from Vadodara at the behest of Teesta".

 

Also Read: Why did Zaheera have to lie?

 

She also denied ever meeting Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Madhu

Shrivastav before the trial in Vadodara.

 

She had earlier alleged that Shrivastav had threatened her against

stating the truth before the fast track court.

 

She also said that the judgment passed by the FTC Judge H U Mahida

was "correct".

 

The Best Bakery case was the first post-Godhra riots case to be

transferred for retrial to Mumbai by the Supreme Court.

 

Zaheera was the key witness and it was she who had moved the SC

seeking a retrial outside Gujarat.

 

Following her petition, the SC had ordered transfer of the case to a

Mumbai court and also rapped the Gujarat government regarding

protection to riot witnesses.

 

Asked about the petition filed by Teesta in the SC regarding the

case, Zaheera said: "She had drafted the petition in English and had

told me that it was regarding the Best Bakery property and got my

signature in it. I was not even aware that she was filing a petition

in the Supreme Court."

 

On being asked if she did try to approach the Mumbai police after

she was allegedly threatened by Teesta and others, Zaheera said: "We

had approached Victoria Terminus police but they did not file a

complaint and we were threatened by her men when we stepped out of

the police station."

 

Asked about the judgement of the fast track court in June 2003

acquitting all the 21 accused, Zaheera said: "It was perfectly

right... I have no doubts in it."

 

She said she did not want to lie any further "as it is the holy

month of Ramzan".

 

Zaheera said she, her mother Sherunissa, her two brothers Nasibullah

and Nafitullah, along with their two children had "fled from

Teesta's custody" in Mumbai.

http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/nov/03guj.htm