Monday, February 21 2005 20:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: A former senior Gujarat police officer today (Feb 21, 2005) told the Godhra inquiry Commission, probing the Sabarmati Express train carnage and post-Godhra riots, that police had no clue about the attack on the Best Bakery in Vadodara city on March 1, 2002.

During his deposition before the Comission comprising Justice (retd) G T Nanavati and Justice (retd) K G Shah, former Police Commissioner of Vadodara city D D Tuteja admitted that police were not at all aware of the attack by violent crowd on the Best Bakery, where 14 persons died, and only got to know of it the next day on March 2, 2002.

During his cross-examination by advocate Mukul Sinha Tuteja, who filed three affidavits before the Commission, said that curfew was imposed in five sensitive areas, including Panigate area where Hanuman Tekri is and where the Bakery is located but somehow police did not come to know about the attack on the place.

"I visited the bakery the next day and ordered police to immediately begin probe. During probe it revealed that the phone connection of the bakery was cut and this could have been the reason for the victims not being able to inform police on time," Tuteja said.

Regarding the anomaly about the visit of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and if he had met or seen the Chief Minister, Tuteja said that as per his records Modi had arrived at the Vadodara airport at 16:15 hours (IST) on Feb 27, 2002 and had proceeded to Godhra and returned Vadodara and headed towards Gandhinagar at 21:27 hours.

Asked specifically when he had seen the Chief Minister during the latter's visit to Godhra Tuteja said: "I only remember seeing the CM in Vadodara on his return from Godhra, a few hours later."

On being asked how many hours it will take to go from Vadodara to Godhra, he said it would normally take one and half hours by road.

Tuteja, however, could not reply when Sinha asked him how could the Chief Minister go to Godhra and come back within just over five hours at such a situation while the Panchmahal's district Superintendent of Police stated in his affidavit that Modi was in Godhra at 16:00 hrs.

On being asked if he had kept track of the developments of the Best Bakery case and if he had clearly read the statement of key-witness Zaheera Sheikh, Tuteja said that the matter was handed over to the Crime Branch on March 10, 2002 and he was aware that 21 persons had been arrested by police but admitted that he had not read Sheikh's statement in detail.