Former deputy mayor incited rioters: Gulbarg victim

Saira Salim Sandhi, who lost four members of her family in the Gulbarg society massacre in the 2002 riots, made her deposition in the special court of judge BU Joshi. In her deposition, she said that she had seen former deputy mayor, Jagrupsinh Rajput and former corporator Meghsinh Chaudhary instigating the  mob of rioters.

Saira who lost her son Mohammed Hussain, brother-in-law Jahangir, two sisters-in-law Zarina and Mumtaz in the riots, stated that she along with other residents of society had taken shelter at the house of Ahesan Jafri. Panic-stricken Jafri made calls to many people including politicians and police officials to ask for help. Saira in her deposition stated that while she was standing near Eshan Jafri she had heard Jafri making calls to chief minister
Narendra Modi and BJP leader LK Advani among others. 

Saira deposed that on the day of incident her son Mohammed told her that riots had started and as a preventive measure, commissioner of police PC Pande and Meghaninagar PI KJ Erda had come to Gulbarg society and promised Jafri that police will be deployed within the society. However, soon after Pande and Erda departed and rioters entered the society.  Saira said she also saw Mamu Kaniyo, Kailash Dhobi, Narayan Challenwallah Ramesh Pande and others killing her brother-in-law Jahangir. She said she too was caught by the rioter but escape by claiming that she was a hindu.