Zahira

Mumbai, Dec. 1: Shahjahan, wife of Qausar Khan who was declared ?missing? by police after the Best Bakery carnage, appeared in court today and alleged that star witness Zahira Sheikh and her family had taken money to change their testimony and also offered her money.

?Zahira bahut paisa khayi thi,? she told the Mumbai court hearing the retrial during her interrogation by the prosecution. Shahjahan, who has seven children, lives in a village in Uttar Pradesh.

Khan was Zahira?s maternal uncle, who took charge of the bakery after her father?s death.

Breaking down before the judge, Shahjahan, in her 40s, said she came to the court because she was disturbed when she learnt her family members were ?not remembering? her husband.

Nafituallah, Zahira?s elder brother who turned hostile, has told the court that he does not know the ?whereabouts? of Shahjahan?s husband.

Khan, Zahira?s elder sister Sabera and 12 others were killed in the carnage. Many witnesses said Khan was burnt to death in the bakery furnace by the mob.

Since Shahjahan was in her village when the carnage took place on March 1, 2002, she did not appear in the capacity of a witness and the court did not record her statements.

Shahjahan said Zahira had made a phone call to her after the incident to inform her of Khan?s death. During the call, she said, Zahira told her the mob pushed him into the bhatti and burned him to death.

After the defence asked her repeatedly why in the police statement she has been recorded as saying that her husband is ?missing?, Shahjahan said she did not know the reason. She then said Zahira has taken a lot of money.

Stepping into the witness box for the second time after she was examined, Shajahan said Zahira and her family had approached her with a money offer for a ?sulah (compromise)?.

?My sister-in-law Shehrunnisa (Zahira?s mother) and Zahira told me they would come to an understanding and get money for it.? Shahjahan said she was promised half of it. This offer was made to her about six months after the riots, she said.

Shahjahan also said she did not receive the compensation given to riot victims.

This is the second time in court that Zahira has been accused of taking money. Yasmin, her sister-in-law and Nafitullah?s first wife, also accused her of taking money.

The prosecution also produced Sahera, Zahira?s elder sister, as witness today. Sahera, like the previous members of her family, turned hostile. Sahera said she did not know if any of her relatives worked in the bakery. When asked if she knew whether Khan was working there, she said she did not know where he worked.

Sahera also said she did not know how many workers the bakery had employed. The bakery and the Sheikh residence were adjacent to each other. While the family lived on the first floor, the workers slept on the terrace above it.