Date:08/04/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/04/08/stories/2005040803691300.htm

National

Investigating officer in Best Bakery case deposes

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, APRIL 7. The Police Inspector, Himmatsinh Baria, today told the special court conducting the Best Bakery re-trial that he came to know the names of some persons involved in the case on the morning of March 2, 2002, when he went to Hanuman Tekri.

He also said that Zaheera `Bibi' had given him this information. (Zaheera Sheikh is the key witness in the Bakery case.) Mr. Baria, who was the Inspector- in-charge of the Panigate police station, was the investigating officer in the case. He is now posted at the licence branch at the office of the Commissioner of Police, Baroda.

"Attackers from vicinity"

He learnt from Zaheera that the attackers were from the vicinity of Hanuman Tekri. She had named Jayanti Chaiwala, his son and nephew, a neighbour, Jitu, and his friend Lalo, and Painter as among those responsible for the attack. Later, at the SSG hospital, Zaheera identified the bodies and the injured persons. He also recorded her statement, which was lodged as the first information report.

He told the court that on the morning of March 2 he had received a call from one

Chandrakant Bhattu who had told him that a house of a Muslim family was burning at Hanuman Tekri and some people were trapped inside. Mr. Baria said he had gone to Hanuman Tekri around 10.45 a.m. He saw the house burning and there were nine people lying seriously injured behind the house. The videographer and other policemen had accompanied him. He had instructed the videographer to film the scene.

Mr. Baria had then informed the police control room and asked them to send an ambulance and a fire brigade. The injured were taken to the SSG hospital and the fire extinguished after that. The fire brigade brought down the bodies of three women and four children from the first floor.