Ahmedabad, Sept 15: A majority community riot victim, deposing before the post-Godhra riot inquiry commission, today named an independent municipal corporator and a social worker for leading a rioting mob that had allegedly hacked to death two persons. "Iqbal Sheikh, the corporator and Mustufa Manikchand, a social worker, were leading an armed mob that hacked to death two persons - Devanand Solanki and Vasant in Gomtipur last year," the victim Mahesh Parmar, told the panel of Justice (Retd) G T Nanavati and Justice (Retd) K G Shah.
Parmar alleged "Sheikh and Manikchand had led the mob and instigated rioting and arson", during which he was also injured.
Another riot victim Prakash Parmar, narrating the same incident said, he saw the mob allegedly chopping Devanand into pieces.
Jitendra Solanki, a photographer, who claimed to be an eyewitness of an incident in which a mob gheraoed and attacked police constable Amar Patil said, Patil was allegedly dragged and hacked to death in the presence of several policemen.
He said no policeman opened fire at the mob as their hands were shivering. "How can they (police) protect us when they cannot protect their own man?," Solanki said.
The commission today began the fourth phase of recording depositions of victims/witnesses from the city, which saw maximum violence following Godhra train carnage. Bureau Report