Vadodara, June 13: An eyewitness in the Best Bakery case today told a fast track court here that he had saved the lives of 15 people from Best Bakery and Shraddha Bakery during violence in the city in March last year. Deposing before Additional District Sessions Judge Hemendrasinh U Mahida here, Bharat Thakker said after rescuing six persons from Shraddha Bakery, located half a kilometre away from Best Bakery, his brother Sanjay Thakker, who is one of the 21 accused in the case, asked him to rescue trapped persons from Best Bakery.

Soon after getting this information, he talked to municipal councillor Chandrant Srivastav alias Bathhu (Congress) from the area on his mobile phone and requested him to rush police force to the Best Bakery. This is on police record, defence council Rajendra Trivedi said.

Sanjay Thakker had received this information from another accused in the case, Ravi Rajaram Chauhan, who is on bail at present. Of the 21 accused, only Chauhan was granted bail by the high court.

Because of the information, nine members from Best Bakery, who were on the terrace, were rescued, Thakker said.

In his deposition before the court, Sailesh Katara then assistant police commissioner in city and now in Ahmedabad, told the court that he could not find any assailant in the area after visiting Best Bakery site soon after the incident on that day.

Twelve persons were burnt alive in the Best Bakery during the communal violence in the aftermath of the Godhra train carnage.

Bureau Report