Phoolan murder: Key witness fails to identify Rana

Friday, November 21, 2008 at 5:11 am

In a major blow to prosecution in the seven-year-old murder case of bandit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi, an eye-witness today turned hostile in a Delhi court by refusing to identify prime accused Sher Singh Rana.

“The culprits I had seen firing from their fire arms on the female (Phoolan) on July seven, 2001 are not the accused Sher Singh Rana and Dheeraj alias Vicky today present in court,” Vinod Vishwanath, who was declared hostile witness, told Additional Sessions Judge J S Aryan.

Vinod, deposing as 129th prosecution witness, had allegedly seen prime accused Rana and other firing at Phoolan when he was offering prayer at a ‘mazar’ outside the house of slain leader on the fateful day.

The witness, then working as a salesman with a private firm, alleged that he had not told the police that it was Rana and Dheeraj who had fired at the Samajwadi Party MP.

As the witness resiled from his alleged statement given to police, Special public prosecutor S K Saxena submitted that he be declared hostile so that he can cross examine him. The plea was allowed by the court.

On sustained questioning, the 28-year-old witness broke down and said in the court that he had already faced “a lot of harassment as the police have been visiting his house”, forcing the court to adjourn the recording of testimony till lunch.

“It is wrong to suggest that I have been pressurised and approached by the accused to speak in their favour,” Vinod said in his cross examination.

Prime accused Rana along with 11 others had allegedly conspired and killed the Samajwadi Party MP to avenge the 1981 Behmai massacre, in which she had killed 17 people of Thakur caste.

The assailants had dropped their weapons at the murder spot after killing the MP outside her 44-Ashoka Road residence here on July 25, 2001. The police had later recovered a country-made pistol and a pistol from the garage of the politician’s house.

Besides Vinod, Kalicharan, the personal assistant of the slain politician, and deceased’s sister Munni Devi were earlier declared hostile when they said they could not identify the assailants as they were wearing monkey caps.

(Agencies)

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Phoolan murder: Key witness fails to identify Rana

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