Ahmedabad: The role of Gujarat police in post-Godhra communal riots in 2002 was appreciated on October 20 when several riot victims and witnesses told the two-man inquiry commission that police in their area had effectively controlled the rampaging mobs and saved their lives.

Deposing before Justice (retired) G T Nanavati and Justice (retired) K G Shah, Mumtaz Pathan, a riot victim from Behrampura, said her house was reduced to cinders by rioters but police helped them save their lives.

"Had it not been the cooperation of policemen we would have been killed," she said and alleged that people of majority community still harass her when she visits her house to check repairing work.

However, she said additional police arrangements would help the Muslims in her area live without fear.

Another riot witnesses Prakash Vasani told the panel that police had helped them when his shop was torched in the Kagdapith area on May 10, 2002.

Vasani, during cross-examination, however said he had not come to praise the police, but only complain that he had not received any compensation despite suffering losses to the tune Rs 12-13 lakh.

Advocate S G Qureshi objected to the recording of Vasani's statement by the commission, saying the panel was only support to record depositions of incidents that occurred between February 27 and April 30.

Qureshi submitted that earlier too, depositions of victims who wanted to speak about incidents that occurred after April 30 were not recorded by the panel.

Justice Nanavati said the panel has recorded the statements of some of the witnesses who also described the incidents after April 30.

Minority community victim Haji Musabhai Patel told the commission that the police had immediately driven away several non-Muslims who had barged into Ibrahim Saiyed Dargah in the Majurgam area and attempted to occupy it forcibly.

PTI