Press Trust of India Posted online: Wednesday, November 03, 2004 at 1606 hours IST
Ahmedabad, November 3: In a sudden turnaround, prime witness in the Best Bakery case Zaheera Sheikh on Wednesday accused the NGO that was helping her in the case of pressurising her into making statements, police said.
Zaheera has also sought police protection from Teetsa Setalvad, an activist of the NGO.
"Zaheera today said that what she said in the fast track court in Vadodara during the trial was true and that the NGO activist Teetsa Setalvad was pressurising her to name innocent persons during the retrial at the Mumbai court," Vadodara police Comissioner S.K. Sinha said.
In an affidavit Zaheera filed with Vadodara collector, she asked police to protect her from Setalvad and also during the on-going re-trial in the special court at Mumbai, the Commissioner said.
Zaheera claimed that she was forcibly taken to Mumbai by some locals at the behest of Setalvad and also made to sign several documents that were in English.
The crucial eyewitness also said Setalvad had "threatened her with dire consequences" if she did not cooperate with the developments in the case and had closeted her in Mumbai, Sinha said.
Zaheera also accused the Mumbai police of siding with Setalvad and towing her line in the case, Sinha added.
