At the moment, I am happy that the witness has identified the accused.Yes, replied 49-year-old Ramchandra Ananda Lavangare, the prosecutions first witness.
Yes, Lavangare unhesitatingly pointed to the prisoners dock, located at the back of the courtroom. Nikam asked the six accused in the last row -- the dock was packed to capacity with 12 prisoners, the remaining five had to be seated to the judges right -- to stand up. The rest of the accused sat, while Rashid Dawood Merchant and Mohammad Rauf Dawood Merchant remained standing. Short-statured, neatly dressed and clean-shaven, they looked more like disinterested passers-by than hired assassins. There was no trace of guilt or fear in their demeanour; in fact, there was actually a hint of a smile on their faces. You could be forgiven if you thought this was the beginning of either the latest thriller or a new, slick flick from Bollywood. I saw them shoot Gulshan Kumar as he was returning to his car after visiting the temple at around 10am, said Lavangare, a plumber by profession. Lavangare, who lives near the fateful spot in Jeet Nagar, Four Bungalows, northwest Bombay, where Kumar was mercilessly gunned down, is a former chairperson of the mandal that built the Shiva temple. Kumar, a self-acknowledged Shiva devotee, used to visit it twice daily. After all, it has been four long years since the shocking murder of the Super Cassettes Industries mogul; Gulshan Kumar was gunned down in broad daylight on August 12, 1997. Yet, their star witness had just made an unambiguous identification of two of the murderers. The case is a complicated one, with 22 accused (including a pensive-looking Ramesh Taurani, promoter of Tips Music Company, who is out on bail). Five of them are still absconding (including music composer Nadeem Saifi, of Nadeem-Shravan fame, who has beaten an extradition attempt by the Indian police and remains safely ensconced in London, nurturing his blooming career). ![]() As soon as Gulshan Kumar opened the door of his car, Rauf shot him. Defence lawyer Majeed Memon interrupted, How many killers were there Two or three. Three, said Lavangare, at which point Memon drew Additional Sessions Judge M L Tahaliyani to the fact that the witness was changing his statement. Lavangare admitted that though he saw three people shoot Kumar, he was able to see the faces of only two of them. There have been rumours that the third accused, Anil Sharma, had been killed in an encounter. The case, which has generated a lot of interest, has also thrown up numerous questions. No one seems to have any clue about the motive for the murder. Will the Indian government push again for Nadeems extradition if he is found guilty Was Ramesh Taurani involved Did some film stars witness Nadeem hire gangster Abu Salem, Karachi-based gangster Dawood Ibrahims lieutenant, to kill Kumar Will these stars be called to the witness stand. Nikam, who later spoke to reporters, said he had no plans to call any film stars as his witnesses.
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