Farzanabanu Aiyubkhan Pathan, PW 106 in FarzanaAiyubShaikh, Survivor & Eyewitness of NarodaPatia Massacre, in which at least 110 persons were killed in broad daylight on 28.2.2002
Sessions case No.-235/09 with Session case no. – 236/09, 241/09, 242/09, 243/09, 245/09, 246/09, 270/09
Excerpts from the Evidence on Oath:
“…The incident happened on 28-2-2002. On that day there was a bandh call. On 27-2-2002, when I came back from work I came to know that, there is a bandh call on 28-2-2002….On 27-2-2002, my husband had gone to Siddhpur to attend a wedding. On 27-2-2002 I and my both daughters were there at the house. And on that day after having dinner, we slept being informed that the next day there is a bandh call…..On 28-2-2002, we woke up, had our breakfast, and then I went to bring the water from the tap, which is beside our chawl. There at the tap the people of our chawl told that, the mob of the Hindus had gathered near the Noorani Mosque, and they are destroying there, burning everything. We had gathered at the place where there is a Police chowky at present. From the place where we were standing we saw that, the Police was also standing along with the persons of the mob and the Police was firing at the Muslims. The Police was firing the teargas cells on the Muslims. In this firing, three persons were injured by bullets. They were Aabidali, Khalid and Peeru. The time would be around 9:00-9:30 in the morning. Aabidbhai died on the spot while Khalid and Peerubhai are alive today.
“….The persons from the mob, which I saw, were shouting ‘Maaro Kaaapo’. Some of the persons in the mob had worn white vests, khaki colored briefs and they had tied saffron colored strips on their head. The persons in the mob were Hindus and had weapons like sword, hockey sticks, pipes, etc. In front of this mob were the Police who, instead of protecting us were using lathis to chase us away… The mobs was burning and destroying everything in our chawl…. We fled into the field at Javannagar.
“…At about 2:00-3:00 in the afternoon, we went to the S.R.P. quarters from there. We were not allowed to enter there and were made to run away from there. We were told by SRP men that, “today you will have to die.” From the S.R.P. quarters we went to the Gopi Gangotri society. There also we were not allowed to sit and were shouting ‘Maaro Kaapo’ we were not given shelter there. Then the burning stones, stones were thrown on the Muslims from the S.T. workshop….This was around 6:00 in the evening….
“…Then we went and sat near the House of Jay Bhavani. There a Police man came and told that, “we will take you in the vehicles in your safety” we took this to be true and went along with the Police but there also a big mob of the Hindus was there. At that time from the other side also a big mob of the Hindus also came there and we were surrounded by them. The place where we were surrounded was the lane of the Gangotri Gopi society. At that time my both daughters, my brother and sister-in-law, my mother, my nephew Akram were there with me. Then they started shouting ‘Maaaro, Kaapo’. There we got separated and my both daughters and mother were with me. My mother’s name is Mumtaz…..At that time the mob of the Hindus pulled away my mother and killed and burnt her in front of my eyes.
“…At this time both my daughters were with me. My elder daughter Farhana was pulled away by a person from the mob. Her clothes were removed and from among the persons in the mob, 4-5 of them raped her. My younger daughter Reshma was hit on both her hands with a pipe and her hands were fractured. The persons in the mob sprinkled petrol on the backside of my body and hands and burnt me…. At around this time I started rolling on the road to put off the fire. My younger daughter was also with me at this time. Both of us rolled on the road….The persons in the mob pulled away a girl named Zarina who was present there. She was also raped and her hands were cut off…
“What was shocking was that at this time a Police jeep came there. They hurled abusive words to us and said, “if you are alive then come out, I am sending a truck”. Then the truck came and whoever were alive there were taken to the Civil Hospital in the truck. We reached the hospital at around 9:00-9:30 in the night.”
Shakilabanu Feroz Ahmed Ansari Survivor & Eyewitness of NarodaPatia Massacre, in which at least 110 persons were killed in broad daylight on 28.2.2002
Sessions case No.-235/09 with Session case no. – 236/09, 241/09, 242/09, 243/09, 245/09, 246/09, 270/09
Excerpts from the Evidence on Oath:
“The riots happened on 28-2-2002. On that day I had come to my mother for Idd. My mother’s name is Kudrabibi. On that day my mother Kudrabibi, my elder brother Mehboob, my younger brother Sabbir Ahmed, my elder sister-in-law bibibanu, my younger sister-in-law Zubeidabanu, the three children of my elder brother Shabnambanu, Safiq Ahmed and Parvin and the three children of my younger brother Shaminabanu, Mohammed Asif and Nadeem, were at home. At that time my former husband Riyazhussain was also with us….
“…My mother worked in the jute factory. She worked from 8 in the morning till 8 in the evening. On the day the riot happened, my mother had gone to Charanagar factory at 8 in the morning. At about 9 in the morning my mother came back home from the jute factory because her boss told her, “today is a bandh call, go back home.” My mother told this to us that why she came back.
“…My mother also told us that on her way back she saw on the road that the mob of the Hindus were standing with a saffron colored strip tied on their head. The person of the mob had swords, sticks, iron rod, etc in their hands. They were damaging the Noorani mosque and were forcing the shops to close down. On hearing this, my elder brother Mehboob went to the mosque to bring my nieces and nephews, who had gone to the mosque to recite Quran Sharif. My brother brought them home safely. On hearing this we also came outside. All my family members came outside. We were standing outside our lane near another lane and seeing. We saw that, the mob of the Hindus were destroying everything. They were breaking the shops and carts. They were burning the Noorani mosque. The persons in the mob had weapons like iron rod, swords, sticks in their hands. We came to know that the Maulana, Imam of mosque were beaten. After seeing and hearing all this we fled back to our houses….
“….We hid in our houses. At this time at about 12:00 in the afternoon we came to know that, the mob is coming towards the inner side of our chawl. So we left our house and went away towards Javannagar. There my sister Zarina lives and we went and sat in her house. We stayed at her house for two to two and a half hours.
“…When we heard the mob is coming towards Javannagar, we left the house of Zarina and went towards the S.R.P. godown, pleading to be let inside. Near the S.R.P. quarters a Police man with khaki uniform was standing. My mother requested him that, “let us go inside”, but the Police man said, “we won’t let you in, today you will die in any condition.” This Police man hit my mother in the leg with stick. We ran from there….
“….We went towards Gangotri society in a shop with shutter and sat there. There were other persons in that shop. We were hiding there. There Bhavani Chara, Guddu Chara, Sehzad Chara, Manu Bhangi came. We were told that, “don’t panic and come, I am making arrangement for your food.” After hearing this we went along with Bhavani. He took us towards Gopinath society and we sat on the terrace of that society. There also the sound of the mob started coming and we came to know that the mob is coming this side and so we came out from there also. We came and sat on the terrace of another house. There I and my mother came down from the terrace. My mother offered Bhavani, “Whatever cash, gold, ornaments we are having you take all that, but show us the way to go out.” Bhavani told that, “I am showing you the way towards Naroda, you go from there.”…
“…There was a big crowd there. At this time I was separated from my family. …After I got separated from my family members they went on going further and further. My mother, elder brother Mehboob, younger brother Sabbir Ahmed and their children, younger brother’s wife, etc all went forward. I saw them going forward. When my family members were going ahead, Bhavani gave an indication to the mob. The mob had many weapons, petrol, diesel, etc with them. They killed my family members. This mob who killed my family members in front of my eyes had Guddu Chara, Bhavani, Sehzad Chara, Manu Bhangi and Suresh Langda in the mob. This mob sprinkled petrol on my family members and burnt them alive. My three months old niece was thrown in the fire by this mob. After seeing all this I went and hid on one of the terrace….
“…There were other Muslim persons with my family members and they were also burnt alive by the mob. These burning people were shouting for help. I was not in a position to go and save these people because if I went then these people in the mob would kill me also. So I remained hidden on the terrace. I was watching everything from the terrace.
“…The terrace on which I was hidden there were other Muslim persons there and they were talking that Jaadi khala and Hasanbhai Golawala of our chawl were burnt alive in which Hasan Golawala was tied to a cot and burnt. On the terrace I also came to know that, there was a handicapped boy in our mohalla who was told by the mob that ‘you speak Hey Ram and we will spare you’. This handicapped boy told that, ‘I will die but will not speak Hey Ram’. So the mob sprinkled petrol over him and burnt him. Like this I hid on the terrace….
“Late night the Police vehicles came and took us to the Shah Alam Relief Camp.”