One more PW turns hostile in Rahaman murder case

Baripada, Apr 25 (UNI) One more Prosecution Witness (PW) Bipin Biswal alias Gendi today turned 'hostile' in the ongoing Sheikh Rahaman murder case in which Dara Singh had been charged as the prime accused.

Deposing before Mayurbhanj District and Sessions Judge Harihar Satpathy, prosecution witness Bipin Biswal, an ex-employee of Sheikh Rahaman,readymade garment trader in the Padiabeda weekly haat said he did not know anything about the killing of Rahaman.

District Public Prosecutor Ajoy Kumar Pattanayak pleaded that the PW be declared as ''hostile'' under section 154 of the Indian Evidence Act as he had changed his statement given before the police earlier during the investigation.

The court accepted the plea of the DPP, and declared Biswal as 'hostile'.Andhha Nayak, one of the main accused among 36 accomplices allegedly involved in the sensational trader murder case was present in the court during the trial.

The District and Sessions Judge adjourned the case for next hearing to June 20 next. Earlier, the court had already declared four other prosecution witnesses- Jagannath Dandapat,Ghasiram Mohanto, Bipin Nayak and Krushna Chandra Mohanto as 'hostile' for changing their earlier statements during the trial of the criminal case.

According to the prosecution on August26,1999, Dara Singh alias Ravindra Pal Singh along with his 36 other accomplices allegedly murdered Sheikh Rahaman, a readymade garments trader at the Padiabeda weekly haat (market) under Thakurmunda police station limits of Mayurbhanj district.

UNI XC DP SJC/SRC1600