Mumbai: A sessions court conducting the trial in the 1993 Suleman Usman Bakery firing case heard the deposition on Wednesday of the 16th witness, who gave an account of the violence that is alleged to have unfolded at the Darul Uloom Imdadiya madrassa.The 50-year-old man, the last eyewitness in the case and an Imam at a city mosque, who was a student at that time, recalled the physical violence he endured after police stormed his institute located behind the bakery. The witness said police struck him with rifle butts on his head and sides, kicked him with their boots, and beat him up with lathis. He said he later learned that a teacher he saw being assaulted was killed after being shot three times.However, he said he did not know if then joint commissioner of police Ram Tyagi had ordered the firing at the bakery. Additionally, when the public prosecutor asked if the incident took place on Jan 9, 1993—and not Jan 11 as he had mentioned—the witness said his memory was not clear because he was hit on the back of his head.The witness said the three-storey madrassa housed 200-225 students aged 8-22. According to him, on Jan 11, 1993, the gate was locked from the inside following lunch. He said students were allowed to leave the premises after noon. He said he heard the door being broken and police coming up the stairs while firing.The witness deposed that police entered his room on the third floor, where 10-12 students aged around 15 were present, and struck them and a disabled teacher, who couldn’t flee. He said police hit him with rifle butts on the head, kicked him with their shoes, and used lathis. He said he lost consciousness.The witness said he remained in the madrassa for two days owing to a curfew and was then admitted to a hospital. “I don’t want to say anything except this,” the witness said.With several discrepancies between his deposition and the statement attributed to him in the chargesheet, the prosecutor said he was not cooperating with the prosecution.Eight people died in the firing on Jan 9, 1993, at the Dongri bakery in the middle of the second round of the 1992-93 communal riots. Six accused, all policemen, are on trial and out on bail. Tyagi, who has since died, was discharged along with eight others. The trial will continue on July 1 with the witnesses’ cross-examination by the defence lawyer.
