An accused in the 2006 communal riot in Vadodara,at present lodged in the Sabarmati Central Jail,on Saturday alleged before a court that he had been offered Rs 10 lakh to kill suspended police officer Dr N K Amin,an accused in the Soharbuddin encounter case who wants to turn an approver. In his application not signed by his lawyer and filed before the Additional District Judge K J Dasondi,Shakil Hussain Teja Gulam Hussain said three Sabarmati jail officials made him the offer and when he refused,they threatened to kill him. Shakil told the court he fears for his life and so he be shifted out of Sabarmati jail. Shakil was shifted to Sabarmati jail after a brawl in Vadodara jail where he was earlier lodged. Facing murder and other charges,Shakil was produced before the court in Vadodara on Saturday and the next hearing in the case is due on September 4. Shakil alleged that in the morning of August 11,he was called by Sabarmati jail officials namely one Jadeja,Makwana and Waghela in their office. They told me they would take me out from my barrack and when I pass by Amins barrack,I will have to kill him. They offered Rs 10 lakh for the job. When I refused,they beat me up. A bone in my right palm was even fractured and the X-ray done inside the jail (report number 659 prepared on August 21) and the receipts of the medicines prescribed have been attached with the application. They warned me not to complain to anyone, the undertrial alleged. Prosecutor in the rioting case,Ravi Shukla,said he was not aware of the development,which has got nothing to do with the ongoing case of rioting. Amins lawyer Jagdish Ramani,who is from Vadodara,could not be contacted. Shakils lawyer Nayeem Dudhwala said he never knew his client intended to file such an application before the court. He directly handed it over to the judge. There is no possibilty of anything untoward happening to him as he is kept in the high-security zone in the jail. Due to his notorious image,jail officials might have thought he could be used.
