Thursday 13 December 2012

Cuffe Parade Police Station


Unedited excerpt From Volume II, Chapter I of Justice BN Srikrishna Report, dated February 16, 1998, Mumbai

7.1 On 7th December 1992 three persons attacked the petrol pump on Madam Cama Road adjacent to Mantralaya, threatened the staff at the point of revolver and attempted to set fire to the petrol pump. Although the miscreants fired four rounds from the revolver, none was injured in the firing. An offence (C.R.No.546 of 1992) was registered by the police station. As a result of the investigations, one Aslam Koradia, a known Muslim criminal, came to be arrested.

7.2 On 8th December 1992 there was an incident in which some unknown persons set fire to a cold drink stall of one Muslim near Chandramukhi building on Barrister Rajni Patel Marg (C.R. No.547 of 1992).

7.3 On 9th December 1992, at about 0100 hours, one wooden tea stall belonging to a Hindu situated behind Hotel Oberoi, Nariman Point, was set on fire (C.R.No.548 of 1992).

7.4 Barring these incidents, there were no other incidents with communal overtones during December 1992.

7.5 On 10th January, 1993, at about 1415 hours, a wooden kiosk of a Muslim situated on the footpath on Dinshaw Vaccha Road, and two hand-carts, were set on fire. One Christian, Francis Joseph Pereira, and three Hindus, Ajit Sadashiv, Raju alias Chandrashekhar and Dattaram Shetty were arrested in connection with this offence and are standing trial. On the same day, between 2000 to 2230 hours, a pan bidi stall of a Muslim situated opposite Express Towers, Nariman Point, was set on fire. An offence vide C.R.No.16 of 1993 has been registered but the accused have not been traced.

7.6 On 13th January, 1993, at about 2035 hours, the car of one Jaykumar Dhond proceeding along General Jagannath Bhonsale Marg was accosted and pelted with stones by unknown accused resulting in injury to said Jaykumar (C.R.No.20 of 1993). Accused are untraced.

7.7 On 14th January, 1993, at about 2300 hours, an armed mob of rioters surrounded two persons and, after ascertaining the religion of the victims, attempted to kill them. One Hindu, Suresh G. Goswami, was killed, though the other escaped. The incident occurred in front of Palm Spring Building, G.D. Somani Road (C.R.No.23 of 1993).

7.8 Between 14th January to 16th January, 1993, three Hindus Ramprasad Hemant, Omprakash Sharma and Laxman Jaysingh Khude, threatened one Muslim, Shabbir Mohamad Umar Shaikh, at the point of knife and attempted to extort money from him (C.R.No.29 of 1993). The accused have been arrested and are standing trial. On 14th January, 1993, there was a serious incident of rioting and murder in which one person was stabbed to death by a mob (C.R.No.23 of 1993). It appears that the murder was due to mistaken identity. The miscreants were Hindus on the look out for Muslims. When the victims, both Hindus, were accosted, one of them revealed his identity as a Hindu and was let off. The other person, though a Hindu, started running away. The mob chased and killed him, believing him to be a Muslim.

7.9 On 18th January, 1993 at 0300 hours, motor scooter No. MMC 8359 of one Hindu, Shrikant Dattaram Tade, was set on fire (C.R.No.30 of 1993).

7.10 On 22nd January 1993 at 1445 hours, a motor–cycle of one Mahendra Galabhai was set on fire near Chandramukhi Building (C.R.No.40 of 1993).

7.11 This area saw a number of Mahaartis organized by the Shiv Sena. In all, there were ten incidents of arson/attempted arson, but arrests have been made only in three cases, C.R. Nos. 546 of 1992, 16 of 1993 and 29 of 1993.

7.12 During the January 1993 phase of the rioting, some of the watchmen of the buildings in this area were accosted by miscreants who attempted to elicit particulars of the Muslim residents. This led to panic in the area and most of the societies dismantled name plates showing Muslim names. Though Senior Police Inspector Shukhla and Assistant Commissioner of Police Kundalkar say that this was a mere rumour and that none of the watchmen was able to give accurate information about such persons, the fact that such panic spread, even in buildings like Buena Vista, occupied by retired and current senior Government and Police officers, testifies to the terror generated. Combing and search of the Macchimar Nagar zopadpattis by the Police led to seizure of weapons like swords and choppers. Interestingly, the searches were conducted on the basis of reliable information which proved to be true. The Commission cannot but notice the strange coincidence that the Shakha Pramukh of local Shiv Sena Shakha resides in Macchimar Nagar.

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