Days after a witness turned hostile in the alleged fake encounter case of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, another key witness has claimed that he is facing threats to his life.
The 40-year-old man, along with Sohrabuddin and Prajapati, was a co-accused in the Hamid Lala murder case, The Indian Express reported. The man, according to The Indian Express report, sent a letter to the court through his wife, saying he was under pressure from several quarters.
The wife, another prosecution witness, on Monday testified before the court, and handed over her husband's letter.
“The police have registered five false cases against him to put pressure on him. All these recent cases have only been filed to ensure he does not appear as a witness in this case. Rajneta aur police unpe pressure dal rahe hai gawaahi na dene ke liye (Politicians and police are putting pressure on him against deposing in the case). He wants to come and depose but his safety should be assured,” the English daily quoted his wife as saying.
In his letter, the man claimed he knew the facts of the alleged encounters and wanted to appear in the court as a witness.
However, the man expressed concerns about his security, saying he was even afraid of coming to the court, fearing he could also get killed in a similar manner.
While the CBI had claimed that the man was a wanted accused in several cases in Rajasthan and therefore untraceable, the 40-year-old said that fear had kept him away. He requested the court to permit him to depose before it.
The witnesses in the case over the last several years have not just turned hostile but also feared for their security. According to The Indian Express, the total number of witnesses who turned hostile in the case has mounted to 72 now.
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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