Srinagar, Sep 13: The Bedi Commission probing the death of National Conference worker Syed Muhammad Yousuf Thursday concluded recording of statements of the witnesses and listed the case for final arguments on November 5, 6 and 7.
 The Commission recorded the statements of two witnesses including Syed Muhammad Hussain, brother of the deceased, and Muhammad Shafi Bhat, father-in-law of Syed Yousuf’s son Talib Hussain.
 Syed Muhammad Hussain stated that “Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah had a very close relation with his brother.”  He told the Commission that the driver of Syed Muhammad Yousuf’s vehicle Khursheed Ahmad “never informed the family about the whereabouts of his brother.”
 “Khursheed however met me in August 2011 saying that his statement before the Additional Magistrate Srinagar was made under pressure by him,” Husain told the Commission.
 He deposed that he saw “bruises on the cheeks of the body of his brother” and claimed that the “family of the deceased was not taken into confidence before the conduct of postmortem of the body of Syed Yousuf.” 
 Hussain stated that when he reached the Crime Branch Headquarters, the former IGP Crime Raja Ajaz Ali told him that “whatever happened, happened at the Camp Office of Chief Minister.”
 On the instructions of counsel for Chief Minister Omar Abdullah M A Chashoo, the senior counsel Gurav Pachnanda cross-examined Syed Hussain. During the cross examination he said that he had “no personal information about the incident and whatever he stated in the affidavits submitted in the Commission is on the basis of the statements of Salam Reshi which media reported.”    
 Asked how he knew that Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah had close relation with his brother, he said that they frequently used to call him on phone. “Several times I heard Omar calling him ‘Badshah” which attests the proximity the two had,” Hussain said during the cross examination. 
 He stated that his brother had a good health and never complained of some serious problem in his life. 
 Muhammad Shafi Bhat, father-in-law of Talib Hussain, the son of the deceased Syed Yousuf, also deposed before the Commission and his statements were nearly similar to those of Syed Hussain.
 Yousuf was reportedly handed over to the Crime Branch by the Chief Minister on September 29 last year after he allegedly admitted that he had taken money from two NC workers for getting them berths in the Legislative Council and the state council of ministers. He died a day after. While Yousuf’s family alleged that he was tortured to death, an autopsy showed that Haji Yousuf died of cardiac arrest.
 Counsels MA Chashoo represented the Chief Minister, Political Advisor to Chief Minister Devender Rana, while the family of the deceased was represented by advocate Mushtaq Ahmad Dar. Senior additional Advocate General AM Magray and Advocate Farooq Ahmad Kathwari defended the state.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 13 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 IST