‘Teesta made them sign fake testimonies’

Former coordinator of NGO Center for Justice and Peace (CJP) Rais Khan has alleged victims and witnesses of Naroda gam case of the 2002 Gujarat riots, were tutored, cheated and made to sign false affidavits by social activist Teesta Setalvad and claimed he can throw light on this.

In an application filed in the court of designated Judge S H Vora hearing of Naroda gam case of the 2002 Gujarat riots yesterday, Khan has sought permission to be examined as a witness to clear allegations leveled against him by some of the witnesses and victims who had said he [Khan] had manipulated their affidavits filed in the Supreme Court.

The court has scheduled the hearing on the application for November 22.

After the riots, Khan had worked as a coordinator with CJP, headed by Teesta Setalvad, from February 28, 2002 to January 18, 2008.

According to Khan’s application, he was merely an employee of CJP and his job was to get instructions from Setalvad over phone, e-mails on day-to-day basis, contact riot victims or witnesses in various parts of Gujarat and to pursue them to join hands with CJP to file cases.

“I am an important link which can throw light on how the victims and witnesses were tutored, cheated and made to signfalse affidavits by Teesta Setalvad in the name of ‘interest of community’,” Khan said in his application.

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