MANGALORE : Joyce Leena Pais, one of the prime witnesses in the Kulshekhar church attack case, while deposing before the Justice Somashekhar Commission at the Circuit House in the city on Wednesday said “ When police resorted to lathi charge during the disturbances in the Kulshekhar church premises, lathi was seen even in the hands of the men clad in saffron shawl. They too had begun to wield lathi along with the police giving room for doubt that police had colluded with the Bhajrangdal men.”
When the counsel for the Bhajrangdal Madhusudan Adiga cross examined Joyce Leena, she once again reiterated before the Commission the statement made by her in her affidavit.
When advocate Madhusudan sought that the video clippings of the incident were shown, justice Somashekhar agreed to the same. Reacting to it Joyce Leena said “Though the video clipping shown today does not show any men in saffron shawl, I have seen them along with the cops in my own eyes. There is no other witness to it but my own eyes.”
In her statement Leena Pais further said “ I have seen the police breaking open the locks of the church gate, by firing it, when I had been to the church for prayer.”
To a cross question by advocate Narayan Reddy she said “ When several had gathered inside a classroom building near the church out of panic, Inspector Ganapathi requested that 25 persons from inside handed over to the police and they would be released within an hour. Heeding to him 25 persons who were in the room were handed over to the police,” she said.
Advocates MP Noronha, Ibrahim,Jagadish Shenava, LN Hegde, Prasanna Deshapande, Sumana Sharan, Francis and others were preset during the hearing.

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