Tulsiram Prajapati ‘fake’ encounter case: Udaipur SP threatened to kill me, says nephew Kundan

“When we went to get tickets, the police caught us. We were assaulted by them. We were told by the police that they wanted to kill Tulsiram but we caused an obstruction. SP Udaipur said that we will also be killed by the police along with Tulsiram,” Kundan told the court. He added that after being taken away from the station, he and his friend were taken to various police stations and were allegedly kept in an illegal custody for 25 days before being shown arrested at Salumber police station with possession of drugs. A case under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against Kundan and his friend and the two were sent to Udaipur central jail.

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Kundan told the court that he met Tulsiram, who was also lodged in the jail. “I questioned him as to why police wanted to kill him. He said he is a witness in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case,” Kundan said. He added that his uncle also told him that he was a witness to the killings of both Sohrabuddin and Kausarbi. The CBI claims that Tulsiram had witnessed the abductions of the two in November 2005. He also named other accused, including Circle Inspector Abdul Rehman, Yudhvir Singh, Kartar Singh and Narayan Singh, among the people who assaulted him. Special public prosecutor B P Raju, however, did not ask Kundan to identify the accused in court.

Kundan said on December 25 or 26, 2006, Tulsiram was to be taken to a court hearing in Ahmedabad. His co-accused, Mohammed Azam, who usually travelled with him, was booked in another case. “Before being taken to Ahmedabad, Tulsiram told me that he may be killed and if he does not turn up then I should take care. On December 28th, we got to know that he was killed in a fake encounter,” Kundan told the court.

He said his uncle had told him that he had made many requests to various authorities that he should be taken to court in iron-cuffs on his legs and hands so that the police could not claim that he had tried to escape. Kundan further told the court that he was not taken in the iron-cuffs.

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During cross-examination, Kundan was asked if he had ever complained to any authorities regarding the alleged false case or assault and threat by the Rajasthan police. Kundan said he did not have the understanding to approach any authority. The court also asked Kundan if he was made to identify any of the accused in a test identification parade by the CBI. Kundan denied. With the NDPS case against him still ongoing, Kundan was also shown evidence papers from the case, including panchnamas with his signatures on it. Kundan told the court that he had signed as he was threatened.

Meanwhile, Narmadabai, the mother of Tulsiram, again failed to appear before the special court. On Monday, the CBI submitted a report by the Ujjain police stating that a team, which had gone to her house to deliver summons for appearance before the court, was told by her daughter-in-law that Narmadabai had gone for a pilgrimage. Kundan, however, told the court that his grandmother was unwell. During previous occasions, too, Narmadabai had said that she would come to court when Kundan comes for his deposition.

The court said that no further summons will be issued and directed the CBI to ensure she was brought before the court if the agency wanted her to be examined as a prosecution witness.