The CID (Crime) report by IGP Geeta Johri that nailed the anti-terrorist squad’s claims about the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in an encounter cited as many as 21 witnesses testifying that a police team picked him up along with his wife and another man from a bus travelling from Hyderabad on November 22, 2005.

The report poked holes in the ATS claim that Sohrabuddin was killed in an encounter on November 26, 2005, near Vishala Circle in Ahmedabad.

Citing the witnesses, the report builds the following sequence of events:

• Sohrabuddin, his wife, and the third man, Tulsiram Prajapati, had booked tickets on a bus from Hyderabad to Belgaum via Kolhapur, Solapur, Meeraj and Sangli. They made the booking with a sub-travel agent, M J Travels, who put them in the charge of Khwaja Travels. They were put on a bus of Sangeeta Travels that Khwaja Travels was using, and allotted seat Nos 29, 30, and 31.

• Naeem Mohammad, a Khwaja Travels employee, testified that he picked the three up from a designated spot and put them on the bus, which left at 9 p.m.

• Driver Meejaban G Shaikh and cleaner Gazi Jamakuddin testified that they stopped at a dhaba for refreshment about 11 p.m. After a 30-minute halt, the bus continued the journey. Around 1:30 a.m., 2 km ahead of Tandola village, a Qualis van with AP-11 registration overtook the bus and stopped in front of it.

• They said two men got on the bus and said it was police checking. A Tata Sumo van reached there and three other men in plainclothes, got on. They all had revolvers and torches. They asked the passengers on seat Nos 29, 30, and 31 to get down. The bus was then allowed to proceed.

... contd.