The Hindu : National : Investigating officer deposes in Bakery case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 17, 2005

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National

Investigating officer deposes in Bakery case

Meena Menon

Confirms Zahira's statement was recorded as the FIR

MUMBAI: The prosecution in the Best Bakery re-trial is almost through with leading the evidence, once the defence completes the cross-examination of investigating officer P. P. Kanani.

Seventy-five witnesses deposed in the re-trial — held after the Supreme Court order of April 12, 2004 transferring the case to Mumbai — and their testimonies run to over 3,000 pages.

The defence is now cross-examining Mr. Kanani who investigated the attack on Best Bakery on March 1-2, 2002 in which 14 persons were killed at Hanuman Tekri in Vadodara.

In his nine-day examination, Mr. Kanani, who took over as investigating officer from Himmatsinh Baria of Panigate police station on March 10, 2002, gave details of the case in a chronological order.

He said that of the 23 cases in Vadodara city, handed over to the Detection Crime Branch (DCB), to which he was attached, the Best Bakery case was the most serious in terms of loss of life and damage to property.

He submitted documentary proof of his investigations, which led to the arrest of several accused apart from recovery of many weapons.

He also confirmed that Zahira Sheikh's statement was recorded as the First Information Report and said that fax messages and reports on the Best Bakery case were sent on March 3, 2002 to the Director-General of police, Additional DGP, (CID, Crime and Railways) and the Gujarat Home Secretary. He verified recording Zahira's statement and reading it out to her.

He also stated in court that he tracked down the accused named by Zahira and her family and arrested them.

He also identified many of the accused in court as well as weapons recovered from them.

He stated that Zahira's brother, Nafitullah, had named the accused who were throwing stones and were armed with swords [Both Zahira and Nafitullah have retracted their statements, along with their mother, younger brother and sister].

Mr. Kanani said he was not aware that the trial of the case he had investigated had begun in the fast track court in Vadodara in 2003.

He found out by accident when he had gone to Vadodara for some other work. He was called to depose only on the last two days of the trial.

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