New Delhi: A hostile prosecution witness in the Phoolan Devi murder case today stuck to his revised statement in court that his earlier testimony against the accused was given under police pressure.

Kalicharan, the personal assistant of the slain bandit-turned politician, who in 2005 had told the court that he could identify the assailants, today told Additional Sessions Judge V K Bansal that he was unable to recognise them as they had muffled their faces at the time of the incident.

"I cannot identify the assailants who fired at Madam (Phoolan) as they wore monkey caps and only their eyes were visible," Kalicharan today said during his cross-examination by the counsel for prime accused Sher Singh Rana. To another question by the defence counsel, he replied that he was tutored by the police to give a particular testimony in the case and for this purpose, he was kept in the Connaught Place Police Station's barrack for about a week before the hearing.

Kalicharan had on an earlier said that he was shown the photographs of Rana and others at the Police Station and was intimidated by the policemen that he should identify them in court. He, however, supported one of the contentions of the slain Samajwadi Party MP's sister Munni Devi that the relationship between Phoolan and her husband Umed Singh was strained.

"Relationship between Madam and Singh was not cordial and she had also complained to the police about it," said Kalicharan, who would now be examined on February eight. As per the prosecution, Rana along with 11 others had conspired to kill Phoolan to avenge the 1981 Behmai massacre, in which she killed 17 Thakurs. The MP was killed outside her Ashoka Road residence here on July 25, 2001.

Source : PTI