MUMBAI: A prison cellmate of Tulsiram Prajapati, who was killed in an alleged fake encounter, today told a special CBI court that he had expressed fear for his life at the hands of the Gujarat Police and had even written to the National Human Rights Commission about this.
Dinesh Gurjar (64) was deposing before a special court, conducting trial against several Gujarat Police officials for carrying out alleged fake encounters of Prajapati in December 2006, and his associate Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kausar Bi, in 2005.
Gurjar was the co-inmate of Prajapati in 2006 in Udaipur Central Jail.
He today told the court that Prajapati had, at that time, told him that Gujarat Police had killed his friend Sohrabuddin and his wife and that he feared he too would face the same fate.
The witness deposed that Prajapati had told him that he and Sohrabuddin had tried to extort around Rs 25 crore from a Gujarat-based businessman who complained to a senior bureaucrat who in turn got Sohrabuddin killed in a police encounter.
Gurjar added that, according to Prajapati, when Sohrabuddin was picked up by the police, his wife Kausar Bi insisted on accompanying him and, hence, she too was killed.
The witness further said that he had drafted letters on behalf of Prajapati, in which the latter express his fears, and sent it to various authorities including the National Human Rights Commission.
"On December 25, 2006 Prajapati was taken by the police from Udaipur jail to Ahmedabad for his case hearing.
Two days later, we were told that Prajapati had escaped from police custody.
The next day, we came to know that he was killed in an encounter," Gurjar said.
Gurjar is the 96th witness to depose before the court in the trial.
So far, 60 witnesses have turned hostile in the case.
Sohrabuddin fake encounter case: One more witness turns hostile
Sohrabuddin fake encounter case: Number of hostile witnesses rises to 58
Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case: 2 more witnesses turn hostile
Sohrabuddin fake encounter case: Panch witness turns hostile, 49th to do so
Sohrabuddin case: New judge to take up hearing on March 22
Sohrabuddin case: Rahul questions removal of judge who took on CBI
Sohrabuddin case: Lawyers body writes to Bombay High Court Acting Chief Justice
Sohrabuddin Sheikh case has claimed another judge: Rahul Gandhi
Sohrabuddin case: Bombay High Court judge's assignment changed
CBI fabricated evidence in Sohrabuddin case: Senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani
Sohrabuddin fake encounter case: Bombay High Court says not getting enough assistance from CBI
No prima facie evidence against IPS officer in Sohrabuddin case: Lawyer
Discharge orders in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case alarming: Former judge
Sohrabuddin fake encounter case: No need for government sanction to prosecute cops, says CBI