Suleman bakery firing case | ‘Police hit me with rifle on my head’: Eyewitness deposes before court

3 min readMumbaiJun 17, 2026 08:36 PM IST

After the incident, police took everyone present inside the building into custody, claiming there was firing from inside the bakery and that they had sophisticated firearms. (File image)

A key eyewitness to the Suleman Usman Bakery firing where nine men were killed allegedly by the police during the 1993 communal riots, deposed before the sessions court on Wednesday. The witness, now 50, was a student at the Darul Uloom Imdadiya madrasa, behind the bakery on Mohammed Ali Road in 1993. He described how the police allegedly broke down the door and were firing. The witness told the court that the police had hit the students and their teacher.

“Police hit me with the rear end of the rifle behind my head and on both sides of my head. I was also kicked with their shoes and hit with lathis. To this day, I suffer from the pain,” the witness told the court.

The witness said that on January 11, 1993, he and around 10-12 students from the madrasa were present in one of the rooms, when the police broke down the door and entered.

When asked about the date of the incident by the prosecutor, the witness told the court that his memory was not good, as he was hit on the back of his head.

The date of the incident was January 9, 1993, when the police had allegedly entered and fired at people inside the building where the bakery was located, causing nine deaths.

Six police officials, part of the team that entered the building, are facing trial before the sessions court on charges including murder.

The witness said that he fell unconscious and woke up at a hospital. He underwent treatment for a while, and kept losing consciousness due to the serious nature of the injury.

Story continues below this ad

The witness told the court that he later learnt his teacher, Maulana Abdul Qasim, who was also beaten during the incident, was shot three times and died. The witness told court that his statement was recorded by a special task force in 2001. His cross-examination will commence on July 1.

After the incident, police took everyone present inside the building into custody, claiming there was firing from inside the bakery and that they had sophisticated firearms.

However, the commission led by Justice B N Srikrishna, set up by the state to investigate the cause of the riots, had, however, stated that the police were “utterly trigger-happy” with no evidence of firearms found at the premises. Based on the report, an FIR was registered in the case in 2001. The people inside the bakery, against whom the police had filed criminal cases in 1993, were subsequently cleared of all allegations.

While the commission had also recommended action against the then joint commissioner of police (crime) R D Tyagi, who had led the team, he and eight others were discharged in 2003.

Story continues below this ad

The witness was asked if he knew Tyagi had led the team, but he said that he was not aware. The trial in the case has seen many delays. Earlier, the son of the Maulana who was shot dead deposed in 2022, and had mentioned Wednesday’s witness, recalling that he was hit by the police.