In Sohrabuddin Shaikh case, 3 more witnesses turn hostile

MUMBAI: With three more witnesses not supporting the prosecution’s case on Thursday, some 33 of 49 witnesses have turned hostile in the trial for the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh in 2005. In a related development, a witness summoned to depose in the case involving the alleged fake encounter of Shaikh’s associate Tulsiram Prajapati has written to the special CBI court saying he feared for his life and seeking protection.

Responding to the request, the first such by a witness in the case, special judge S J Sharma passed an order on Wednesday, the court directed the CBI to provide protection to him on his way from home to the court and back. The Prajapati trial is expected to begin next week. Prajapati, who is alleged to have been an eyewitness to the Shaikh killing, was whisked away to Udaipur in Rajasthan and, in 2006, alleged to have been killed in another fake encounter.

Prajapati had allegedly made applications mentioning threats by some personnel of Gujarat and Rajasthan police. The witness who sought protection was privy to these applications, the CBI had said. The three who turned hostile on Thursday were panch witnesses whose statements were recorded in connection with the farmhouses in which Shaikh and his wife were allegedly kept confined in 2005.


The CBI said the statements of the panch witnesses were recorded after they were shown the farmhouses in 2007 during the investigation. According to the statements, they were told about the couple’s confinement. However, on Thursday, they said they were never taken to the properties but had signed the documents.

The prosecution declared them hostile. Gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh was allegedly abducted by police personnel of Gujarat ATS near Hyderabad, along with his wife KausarBi, on November 23, 2005, according to the CBI. The couple was taken to Ahmedabad and two days later, he was killed in a fake encounter.

The CBI alleged that the following day, Kausar Bi was killed. On Monday, two panchas whose statements were recorded in connection with Shaikh’s viscera turned hostile, and in contradiction of their CBI statements, denied seeing deputy superintendent of police S P Parmar, one of the accused, when they were shown the viscera in the ATS office soon after the killing in 2005. The witnesses did not recognise the cop in court. The matter will now be heard on Friday.