MUMBAI, February 10: Rubina Javed Sayed, the witness in the encounter probe being conducted by Principal Sessions Judge A S Aguiar, today denied that she was falsely deposing before the court.She said the constable at Bandra police station did not inquire about the occupation of her brother, Abu Sayamma alias Javed Fawda who was killed in a police encounter, as he knew that Sayamma was a peanut vendor. During the cross-examination by Special Public Prosecutor Shrikant Bhat, Rubina described her deceased brother as tall, well-built, curly haired and fair complexioned. When she went to Bandra to locate her brother, she gave his photograph to the constable for the purpose of identification. The constable took the photograph, filed the complaint and gave her a slip. Being illiterate, Rubina asked her neighbour to explain the contents of the slip who told her that it contained a complaint. Rubina said she produced the slip each time she made enquiries at the CID branch located behind the Bandra policestation.
In her complaint, Rubina described the clothes her brother was last seen wearing as he left home for namaaz. She gave details about herselfwhich were recorded in the "missing" register. During her stay at her mother's residence, she never saw her brother staying away from home for more than three to four weeks at a time. She also said she could not recall when she first went to an advocate in connection with her brother's death. However, she was accompanied by two petitioners, she said.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
