Ahmedabad, Aug 30: In a sudden twist in the Godhra train carnage case, an accused has retracted from his previous confessional statement and told the Pota court that his statement was recorded `forcefully'. Zabir bin Yamin Behra's `confessional statement' had led the special investigating team, probing the Sabarmati Express train carnage in which 59 ‘kar sevaks’ were torched alive in February last year, to arrest the alleged main conspirator Maulvi Hussain Umarji. Behra, during a special sitting of the Pota court at the Sabarmati Central Jail on Thursday, retracted from his previous confessional statement recorded under section 164 of CrPC and said "he had not said anything that was recorded in his name," public prosecutor appointed for Pota matters H M Dhruv said. Dhruv, however, expressed confidence that Behra's retraction would not affect the case as such.

"Since Behra has retracted from his previous confessional statement, it cannot be taken as an `admitted fact' even though it was recorded by a magistrate. It's (previous confessional statement) evidential value will be tested at the time of appreciation of evidence by the Pota court," Dhruv said.
Behra, in an open court in the jail premises, told the judge that "he was assured of being treated as a witness when he gave a statement but was later counted as an accused and the sit had also arrested his brother," official sources said.

Behra's statement was recorded before the anti-terrorism law was applied in the train carnage case and in it he mentioned two meetings held by the core-group members at the Aman Guest House in Godhra by its owner Abdul Razzak Kurkur a night before the incident, sources said.

Names of the core-group members, including Behra, who was also allegedly involved in torching the S-6 bogie, was revealed by Ajay Baria and Anwar Abdul Sattar Kalandar in their confessional statements.

Bureau Report