MUMBAI, February 6: Principal Judge of Sessions Court A S Aguiar today examined the first witness in the false encounter inquiry ordered by the High Court following a petition filed by the Samajwadi Party and others.The witness, Rubina Javed Sayed, sister of Abu Sayamma alias Javed Fawada, was cross examined by the SP counsel Majeed Memon. Fawada belongs to the Abu Salem gang and is an accused in the Gulshan Kumar murder case. Rubina said that according to her neighbours, her brother was picked up by three or four plain clothes policemen on August 26, 1997. When he did not return, she filed a `missing' complaint with the Bandra police station.
Eight days later, Rubina went to the Esplanade Court where six persons were produced before the magistrate in burkhas. One of these appeared similar to her brother. The police told her that the said person's name was Javed Fawada and not Abu Sayamma. Also, when she went to the crime branch, officers reiterated that Sayamma was listed in the police records asFawada.
Later, Rubina was taken to the J J Coroner where she identified her brother's body with four bullet marks. Earlier, the judge rejected an application by the Mumbai Police seeking a stay on the examination after the exact nature and procedure of the inquiry were clarified.He also rejected a plea seeking that city SP president Abu Asim Azmi be made the first witness in the case.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
