Ahmedabad: At least five communal riot witness of majority community of Meghaninagar area of the city deposing before the two-man probe panel, today (November 6) said that "they had clearly seen ex- Congress MP Ehsan Jafri open fire at a mob" outside the Gulberg society on February 28 last year during the post-Godhra communal backlash.

Hardly any minority community witness came forward to depose, mainly due to the month-long Ramzan season, and among the handful who did approach the Commission comprising Justice (retd) G T Nanavati and Justice (retd) K G Shah, was a close relative of the ex-MP who hid in the loft of his house while Jafri and others were allegedly slaughtered inside the house.

Controversial issues such as the visit of former police commissioner P C Pande to meet Jafri at the Gulberg society in the morning and the latter firing at a mob, that provoked the slaughter, came up before the Commission once again.

Riot victim and a close relative of Jafri, Safdar Hussain Ankleshwaria told the Commission that on February 28, huge armed mobs had gathered outside the society and were shouting slogans.

He said out of fear a majority of the residents gathered at Jafri's house, as he was a prominent local leader, hoping that they would be spared.

"Jafri called Pande over phone and said Pande had come to the gate of society around 10.30 am and assured help. Jafri told us this and also instructed that all gates of the society be locked," Ankleshwaria said.

He said, however, that as soon as the commissioner left, the mobs outside had increased in numbers and were attempting to get inside the society.

PTI