Security will also be provided to them within the court premises.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) will provide special security vehicles to the witnesses in nine of the post-Godhra riot cases whenever they have to come to the court for deposing when the trial begins.
Officials of the SIT told DNA that security personnel provided by the team will remain present in the vehicle, during transit. "We will be providing vehicles to witnesses in the nine cases. While security will be provided within the vehicle, it will also be provided to them within the court premises too," an SIT official said.
There have been apprehensions about the security of witnesses as many of the accused are out on bail. Teesta Setalvad of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) had also met officials of SIT so that a witness protection plan could be charted out. SIT has appointed a nodal officer who will ensure that witnesses are protected whenever summons is issued in their name.
Officials of the SIT also told DNA that a team comprising of the investigating officer of the respective case, a police inspector and police-sub inspector has been appointed to take care of security aspects of the witnesses. The police inspector of the respective team for each of the nine cases will act as a nodal officer so that proper security cover is given to witnesses. "The nodal officer will ensure that witnesses are given security cover whenever they arrive in court," the official said.
According to sources, there are over 200 witnesses in these nine cases who will be called for deposition once the fast track court begins work. Sources close to the development said that since the number of witnesses is large in number, to ensure that cases are disposed off quickly depositions will be taken of a few witnesses per day in the respective case in the respective courts.
The Supreme Court had recently ordered to form fast track courts to try nine riot-related cases including Sabarmati Express train carnage, Gulbarg society, Naroda Patia and Naroda Gaam massacre. All of these cases will be tried in the premises of the sessions court of respective districts where the incidents had happened, however the trial of the Godhra carnage will be tried in the premises of the Sabarmati express carnage.
Earlier this week, a senior police official of Gujarat police, MV Damor, was made in-charge of witness protection for post-Godhra riot cases being probed by the SIT.
The decision to appoint the commandant of Gandhinagar unit of State Reserve Police MV Damor was taken during a meeting conducted by SIT chief RK Raghavan with other members of his team, which include two senior former CBI officials Paramveer Singh and AK Malhotra and three IPS officers of Gujarat, Geetha Johri, Shivanand Jha and Ashish Bhatia, official sources said.
Damor will have three police officers NS Joshi (DySP), Ashutosh Parmar (SI) and Mini Joseph (SI) as assistants. SIT will also start helplines for witnesses, officials said, adding they would allot a landline number and one mobile number as helplines.
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