Gulbarg killings: Erda granted bail

The Ahmedabad City and Sessions Court on Tuesday granted bail on a bond of Rs 20,000 to suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police K G Erda who has been arrested by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team in connection with the Gulbarg Society killings.

Erda is facing a host of charges ranging from abetment to murder and rioting,dereliction of duty and destruction of evidence. He is also accused of negligence like not taking the blood samples of the deceased,not calling the fire services to the riot spot,carrying out two panchnamas of a box recovered from the Gulbarg Society after the killings and not making preventive arrests following the VHP bandh call on February 28,2002 in connection with the case. He was then police inspector of Meghaninagar Police Station.

Erdas counsel Mitesh Amin said,The court observed that Erdas negligence cannot be connected with abetment of offences committed by other accused in the case. The court also took cognizance of our contention that he got his statements recorded before the SIT nine times and co-operated with the investigation. And being a senior government servant,he will not go absconding.

He had also deposed before the Nanavati-Shah Commission in connection with the killings. So,he has co-operated with every government investigation into the massacre, Amin added.