Riot victims tell a tale of molestation and death

Sobbing that she would reveal everything to the commission, Bibibanu said their Hindu neighbours, whom they had trusted the most, deceived them and called a mob to kill them. She alleged that when the mob attacked their locality on February 28, she and other residents tried to flee but a group of policemen drove them inside.

Soon, one Bhavani (Ratilal Rathod), who stays behind their locality, asked them to come to his area as they would be safe there. As they were going, Bibibanu said Bhavani signalled to a mob which attacked them. Bhavani, too, joined the mob which was armed with kerosene containers and swords. She alleged that the mob tore off the clothes of the women in the group and her sister-in-law was raped before being burnt alive with other members of the locality. She said she escaped the attack with her two children but before that saw her brother-in-law being stabbed, cut into pieces and set on fire.

Bibibanu told the commission that she then stayed at V.S. Hospital for three months, nursing her son who had sustained burn injuries. She then stayed at Shah Alam relief camp for another two months before being allotted a house in Vatva by the Islamic Relief Committee. She told the commission that she had till now received death compensation for only four of her family members who were killed.

State counsel Arvind Pandya, in her cross-examination, asked her why she had not made allegations of rape and sexual assault before any authority earlier. To this Bibibanu said: ‘‘Hum ye sab bola tha. Ab policewalon ne kya likha ye hame nahi pata kyu ki humme Gujarati nahi aata (I told them everything. I don’t know what the policemen wrote because I don’t know Gujarati).’’

Naimuddin Ibrahim Sheikh, also a resident of Hussain Nagar locality, told the commission that the attack started in the morning and the police, instead of helping them, drove them towards the mob. He said when he and other residents went to the nearby SRPF headquarters for shelter, armed guards drove them away. He alleged that their Hindu neighbours in Gopinath and Gangotri societies also joined in the attack and set fire to whoever they came across. His wife’s hands were chopped off by the mob, he alleged. He further alleged that some of these youths also tore the clothes of several girls and women of his locality. In his own words, which the commission also recorded, he said, ‘‘Kutto se battar sulook kiya unho ne hamari auraton ke saath. Ve unhe noch rehe the aur kat rahe the (They behaved like dogs, scratching and biting and tearing their clothes off).’’

A total of 14 witnesses were examined on day two with 44 persons yet to be examined. The commission has now fixed September 30 and October 1 as the date for the next hearing and recording of statements.