http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=280197

Foodstall owner quizzed on riot-murder

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003 10:06:52 PM ]

AHMEDABAD: A foodstall owner selling non-vegetarian snacks near the Kalupur Tower on Sunday night was detained by the Kalupur police on Wednesday.




Sources told TNN that the detention is in connection with the murder of Porus Mehta who was burnt alive when communal violence erupted in the Kalupur area following rumours about a murder in Juhapura.



Investigations conducted by city police officials have revealed that this snack-stall owner, identified as Kadarbhai Pirmohammad of Lucky Chinese Food cart, may be in the know of the murder and suspect that kerosene from the foodstall may have been used to burn Mehta.



Police, after conducting preliminary inspection of the spot on Sunday night had said that Mehta, who stayed near the Swaminarayan temple in Kalupur, was accosted by a group of miscreants who stabbed him and set his motorcycle on fire. Another person passing the area had also sustained stab injuries and 25 per cent burns in the episode.



However, subsequent investigations revealed that Mehta may have parked his vehicle and might have been eating some snacks when the incident occurred around 11 pm.



Aluminium foil used to wrap snacks was found right next to the deceased bike, sources said. This led the investigators to conclude that the foodstall owner may be an eye-witness or even an accused in this gruesome incident.



We used our information network to track down the foodstall owner and also recover the handcart used by him, said a police officer. On Wednesday afternoon the handcart was inspected minutely by a two-member team of experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Gandhinagar.



Joint commissioner of police P C Thakur said: Tyres of this handcart have been sent to the FSL to verify if there are any traces of blood on them.



The police authorities also decided, after a meeting in the evening, to lift curfew from the sensitive Kalupur and Dariapur areas, from 5 am on Thursday.



Night curfew, however, would continue to be enforced. On Wednesday, authorities had relaxed curfew in these areas of the Walled City for four hours between 8 am and 12 noon.



People had come out in large numbers to stock up on essentials. Meanwhile, six persons injured during the violence in Kalupur are undergoing treatment at two government hospitals and a private clinic for burns, stab and stone injuries. Hospital sources said condition of all victims is stable.