quot;Tandel shot at close rangequot;

MUMBAI, April 20: Baldev Singh, key witness in the encounter killings of gangsters Sada Pawle and Vijay Tandel, today told the Commission of...

MUMBAI, April 20: Baldev Singh, key witness in the encounter killings of gangsters Sada Pawle and Vijay Tandel, today told the Commission of Enquiry into Encounters that some of the shots fired by the police were fired from a distance of more than two feet but less than four feet.

During cross-examination by Mumbai police counsel, Harshad Ponda, Baldev said one shot was fired at the gangsters from a distance of two to three inches and that when he saw Pawle being shot on his eyebrow, he was at a distance of not more than four feet. Earlier, Baldev said Tandel was shot by a person armed with a pistol who was squatting to the right of the gangster who was lying flat. The shot was aimed at Tandel8217;s skull from a distance of two to three feet. He said when he saw Tandel fall, he had a bullet injury on his left side above the abdomen and his shirt was torn and open in front. The first persons to alight from the car were Anand Pawle and his wife and Anand was the first to be assaulted during the incident.

Anandwas then kicked in the abdomen and fell forward. Baldev said five persons accompanied him to Tilak Nagar station after the incident, including Vijay Salaskar, Hemant Desai, Avinash Sawant and Shetye. He could not recall the name of the fifth person.

During cross-examination, Ponda produced certificates relating to Baldev8217;s application to the chief fire officer for the post of assistant station officer. However, the certificate relating to Baldev8217;s graduation produced by the advocate and the letter of the controller of examinations to the senior police inspector of the Agripada police station showed glaring discrepancies. baldev, however, denied having forged any documents.

He also insisted he was indeed present at the site of the shootout. He also denied that before he filed the first affidavit, dated March 2, 1998, he was contacted by one Suresh Bhaskar alias Amdar and that Amdar told him that unless an independent witness was made available, the family of Sada Pawle would not be entitled to anycompensation and because of this Amdar prevailed upon Baldev to file the affidavit. Baldev also denied that he was promised money in return for standing as a witness.