Rs 100 as Gujarat riot relief: Shame, says probe judge

She was reluctant to give out her present home address but the women who accompanied her said she now lived in Mehendikuva in Shahpur area. They were among the 107 who, in 16 groups, deposed today before the Commission headed by Shah and Justice (retd) G T Nanavati.

When 25 Hindu and Muslim women from Shahpur said ‘‘a small incident leads to a communal flare-up even now’’ and that they were ‘‘scared’’ to interact, the panel ordered Madhavpura police to ensure law and order was maintained in the area.

Complaining about police high-handedness, Ghulam Noor Mohammed, a 55-year-old resident of Mirzapur, alleged that constables Bahadur Singh, Kishan and Raghu of Shahpur police station had shot at his son-in-law Usman during the riots. Usman later succumbed to his injuries.

He alleged that the three constables ‘‘tried to disrupt the law and order situation’’ and also shot at one Iqbal, injuring him.

‘‘I managed to meet K P S Gill who directed me to officials of the police station concerned. Instead of investigating the issue, they externed me for no reason,’’ Ghulam Noor said. Government counsel Arvind Pandya said that investigations in this case were on.

Rafiq Ahmed Naseer, owner of a petrol pump in Madhavpura area, said his pump was looted thrice during the communal violence. ‘‘On February 28 (last year), fuel was stolen from my pump. On March 18, a mob attacked my attendants and, on April 4, over 20,000 litres of petrol was stolen. I lodged a complaint with the police and requested that the pump’s electricity connection be cut.’’

Nineteen-year-old Satish Nadia said he received a bullet injury when a mob attacked residents of Shahpur area on April 15. ‘‘I was shot in the neck and was unconscious when I was taken to Chandramani hospital.’’

Several Muslims residing in Dudheshwar deposed before the panel and stated that a mob pelted stones, burnt shops and disrupted peace in their area, forcing them to shift to relief camps.

‘‘Vehicles were set ablaze and my house was damaged. Scared, we rushed to a graveyard near our home,’’ Gulab Sheikh said.

The women accompanying him said that they were still awaiting compensation. The Commission will record statements on the Naroda Patiya massacre on August 26 and 27 while that of Meghaninagar area victims, including the Gulbarg Society, would be taken up on August 29.