The Hindu : Pandya instigated the mob, alleges witness

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 18, 2003

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Pandya instigated the mob, alleges witness

By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD JULY 17. A riot witness today alleged that the former Home Minister of Gujarat, the late Haren Pandya, had instigated a "riotous mob to attack his house on February 28 last year". He was deposing before the Nanavati-Shah judicial inquiry commission probing the Gujarat communal riots. (Pandya was killed on March 26 this year when he had gone for a morning walk unescorted.)

Accompanied by his wife Tasmin, Yunus Bhavnagari appeared before the G.T. Nanavati and K.G. Shah Commission, and narrated the incident that led to his opening fire from his licensed revolver killing two persons. Yunus and his son were later arrested for opening fire and the duo spent three months in the jail before being released on bail.

He alleged that Pandya was present among the 1,000 or so strong frenzied mob that attacked his apartment complex in the posh Paldi locality. "Pandya's presence made the mob more aggressive,'' he told the commission.

He accused the police of "inaction". For more than three hours, he had been frantically sending messages to the Ellisbridge police station for help as the mob gheraoed the apartment complex housing several Muslim families. The attackers gatecrashed into the compound and set ablaze 19 vehicles in the complex. He was so scared of the mob that he opened fire from his licensed revolver and two persons in the crowd were killed. The mob relented only after 5.30 p.m. when the Ellisbridge police arrived.

Mr. Bhavnagari's deposition today give credence to the BJP's earlier claim that Pandya's murder was in retaliation to the communal riots. Ashgar Ali, a sharp-shooter, and four others were arrested earlier in Hyderabad in this connection. Four more persons were arrested last night in Ahmedabad.

Although the incident comes within the Ellisbridge police station area — which was scheduled for deposition yesterday but no one came up to do so — Mr. Bhavnagari who was allowed to appear before the commission today said that he did turn up at 4 p.m. by which time the court had risen for the day in the absence of any witnesses.

Claiming that his opening of fire was "purely in self-defence", Mr. Bhavnagari said he had submitted memoranda to this effect to the National Human Rights Commission, the National Minority Commission and other authorities, and submitted a copy of it to the Nanavati-Shah Commission.

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