On November 3, Zaheera called a press conference in a posh hotel in Vadodara to say she and her mother were in fact kidnapped at knife-point and held hostage by Setalvad. "I was coerced into lying in the interests of the Muslim community," she said. This, from someone who in an emotional statement last year had said she had preserved the blood-stained clothes of those killed in the massacre. Zaheera went on to say the acquittal of the accused was also the correct decision. Even as this drama unfolded, three other witnesses testified and identified the same accused. Though details are not known on the falling out between Setalvad and Zaheera, there are reports that the latter and her family had demanded a house and a bakery in Mumbai, which obviously Setalvad balked at. Zaheera’s volte-face has come as a major victory for CM Narendra Modi. The Gujarat police has now taken charge of her security and she’s filed a fresh affidavit before the district magistrate.
By Darshan Desai
