German Bakery employees say cops haven't summoned them to identify the two men arrested in blast case, though in the past they would be called every time the cops had a suspect

No bakery witnesses called in yet

German Bakery employees say cops haven't summoned them to identify the two men arrested in blast case, though in the past they would be called every time the cops had a suspect

IT seems that after trying so hard to trap the big fish in the German Bakery blast case in their net and eventually succeeding, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is not keen on going in for identification of the suspects by eyewitnesses just yet.

Seeking justice: The German Bakery in Koregaon Park today.
It was destroyed in a blast on February 13 that killed 17 people;
(right) suspect Himayat Baig. File pics

The ATS seems to believe it should first focus on interrogation of the suspects before approaching the eyewitnesses.

No eyewitnesses in the case were summoned by the ATS even after 48 hours of the arrest of Mirza Himayat Inayat Baig from the city and Shaikh Lalbaba Mohamaed Hussain alias Bilal from Nashik.

MiD DAY spoke to the complainant in the February 13 blast case, cashier Pravin Ramkumar Pant, who said he had not been summoned yet by ATS officials to identify the two arrested men.

RECOGNISE HIM? Himayat Baig is produced in court on Wednesday.

Paras Rimal, another bakery employee who is still recuperating from the injuries to his leg, said: "I am happy that the people responsible for carrying out the blast are finally behind bars."

Rimal added that police had so far not approached them to identify the perpetrators of terrorist attack.
Rimal, Pant and many others who survived the deadly blast were summoned to the Bundgarden police station many times in the past to identify a number of people seen at or around the bakery.

Two of the waiters working at the bakery expressed their joy at the arrest of the two.
"They should get maximum punishment for their actions, which killed 17 people and injured 56," said one of the waiters, requesting anonymity.

Pant, who suffered multiple injuries to his leg and head, said: "Like everybody else, I feel a great sense of relief after the blast suspects have been arrested." Pant is still recovering from his injuries.

"No matter how hard I try, the unfortunate day will not be washed out of my memory ever," said Pant.
Rimal said he was hopeful he would be able to go back to his village in Newokota in Nepal soon.

"Now that the case seems to have been cracked, may be the police will not need me," said Rimal.
According to police sources, many working at the bakery who believed they had seen the bomb planters or others suspected of having conducted a recce before the blast were asked not leave the city till investigations were over.