He was considered insane by some of the police officials in Vadodara, but on Wednesday, Shehajad Khan, the third eyewitness in the Best Bakery carnage, deposed and identified 12 accused before additional sessions judge Abhay Thipsay in the Mazgaon sessions court.
On March 1, 2002, a mob had burnt to death 14 persons taking refuge inside Best Bakery in Vadodara, Gujarat.
Khan, who worked as a labourer in
the bakery, confidently identified four accused by their names-Jeetu Chauhan,
Sanjay Thakker, Sanabhai Baria and Dinesh Rajbhar. Taking a closer look
at the other accused lined up in the courtroom, Khan identified eight more.
When public prosecutor Manjula Rao asked him if he knew their names, he
said, “I do not remember their names but can recognise them by their faces.”