Rais Khan knocks HC door over threat to life
Rais Khan Pathan, former associate of Mumbai-based activist Teesta Setalvad, has sought the High Court’s intervention against the threats he has received for speaking the truth about handling of the 2002 post-Godhra riot cases.
Pathan, who had last month demanded the re-trial of the infamous Best Bakery case of Vadodara as some key witnesses were tutored, has written to the Chief Justice of the Mumbai High Court seeking his help in view of the threats he has received from Muslim fundamentalists on behalf of Teesta Setalvad.
Narrating at least half a dozen incidents of overt and covert threats during the month of October, Raiskhan has expressed apprehensions that his life is in danger for speaking the truth about the wrong doings by Teesta Setalvad.
“Ms Teesta Setalvad through her links with Muslim fundamentalist organisations is trying to stop me to speak the truth about her various wrong doings”, Raiskhan Pathan wrote to the Chief Justice of the Mumbai High Court where he had submitted an affidavit last month seeking a re-trial of the Best Bakery case.
Raiskhan Pathan, who was Teesta’s key associate for handling the 2002 post-Godhra riot cases in Ahmedabad, has alleged before the various fact-finding commissions and probe agencies that she had fabricated affidavits of the witnesses, kept them captive, hacked his e-mail ID and also instigated the relatives of Pandarwada massacre to exhume the bodies of riot victims from the Panam river bank in Lunawada of Panchamahals district.
“I can be attacked any time to silence my voice. Instead of facing the law, she is trying to pressurise, stun and numb the democratic course of law”, Raiskhan wrote to the Chief Justice urging him to pass appropriate order to save his life.
Giving details about the threats he has received, Raiskhan said that the first caller on Oct 14 around 9.30 in the morning, who identified himself as an officer bearer of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, asked him to stop working against Teesta and the community.
Same day, around 10.30 a.m, some six or seven unknown people came to his house and shouted at him saying he was spoiling the ‘good work’ of Teesta Setalvad. They also asked him to compromise with Teesta or else be prepared to face the consequences.
Again, in the afternoon, some four or five women in burkha came to his wife and urged her to restrain the husband from acting against the community.
The same night, seven or eight people came and threatened him with dire consequences, Raiskhan wrote to the Chief Justice of the Mumbai High Court.
Next day in the afternoon, about half a dozen people came to Yash Plaza building, where he had gone to meet a friend, and told him that he had become an agent of Hindus, Raiskhan narrated.
Finally, late on October 17 night, one Khalid called him on his mobile and asked him to come to Mumbai to strike a compromise with Teesta. Three more persons spoke to him during the same call and asked him stop filing cases against Teesta or face the consequences, Raiskhan Pathan wrote seeking the High Court’s help to protect him.
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