Delhi serial blasts: Victim fails to identify bomber

The auto-rickshaw driver who had been hired by a September 2008 serial blast accused with an explosion taking place in his vehicle at Gaffar Market in Central Delhi minutes after the suspect had left it, has failed to identify the accused before a Delhi court.

Auto-rickshaw driver Mool Chand failed to identify the alleged terrorist, who was produced before him during the court proceeding through video-conferencing from Sabarmati jail, where he is lodged currently.

The prosecution had said the accused had travelled in his auto-rickshaw on September 13, 2008 to Gaffar market in Karol Bagh area and had left a bag in his vehicle in which the explosion had taken place.

The 40-year-old Mool Chand was shown six of the 13 accused, presently lodged in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat, on screen via videoconferencing but he failed to identify the man who had hired his auto-rickshaw.

Mool Chand was deposing as a prosecution witness before Additional Sessions Judge Narinder Kumar, who is conducting trial in the 2008 serial blast case in which 26 people were killed and 135 others had been injured. Thirteen suspected Indian Mujahideen militants, of which six are presently lodged in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat, are facing trial in the case.

Mool Chand told the court that he can identify the youth and was shown faces of each accused at least six times in half an hour with focus on their faces but he said he wanted to see them in person and only then he can identify the man who had travelled in his auto.

At this, the prosecution submitted to the court that the six accused lodged in Sabarmati jail, be summoned here personally so that the prosecution witness could identify the relevant accused.

The prosecution's submission was vehemently opposed by the defence counsel who said Chand had seen the accused on screen and any further opportunity to identify the said youth by calling them in person would certainly provide an opportunity to the special cell of Delhi Police to tutor him to identify the concerned accused.

"Providing any further opportunity to the prosecution may lend an opportunity to the authorities to show the concerned accused to the witness in the meanwhile," the judge said, rejecting the plea to call the six accused to New Delhi. The court also rejected the prosecution's plea for showing the accused to the witness for some more time on the screen.

In his deposition, Chand earlier told the court that on the fateful day he was waiting for passengers on Mathura Raod near Nizamuddin police station at about 5:30pm when a youth came to him and said he had to go to Gaffar Market and thereafter to Patel Nagar.

He deposed that he agreed on paying as per the meter reading. When they reached Saraswati Marg, the boy asked him to stop the autorickshaw and told him he wanted to purchase a mobile phone and will be back in sometime.

The boy left his bag in the auto rickshaw and asked him to keep a watch on it, said Chand adding that when he did not return for some time, he stepped on the mid-verge of the road looking for him and that is when the blast took place in his auto-rickshaw.

Chand had suffered injuries on his back and regained consciousness in the hospital.