Witness in Salman case disappears

In his statement to the court, Dulani had said he was in the backseat of the Gypsy while Salman was driving and that he had shot chinkaras — once in Bhawad and again at Mathania, about 30 km from Jodhpur. His statement says Khan had shot and wounded a chinkara in Mathania, then got down from the jeep and said a few words before slitting the chinkara’s throat. Dinesh Gawre, the spotboy who held a searchlight while Khan allegedly hunted, is absconding too.

Dulani went missing about six months ago. He had written to the court saying that his life was under threat and asked for protection. But he mentioned no names.

‘‘We have no idea where Harish is. They troubled him so much that he started hating Jodhpur. They just didn’t let him stay here,’’ says Gopi Devi, Dulani’s maternal grandmother. But she says she has no idea who these ‘‘they’’ were. ‘‘Harish was very troubled but he didn’t confide in us. And then he just disappeared and we’ve had no news since,’’ says his mother, Kavita. But his mother-in-law says he had returned over a month ago to pick up his wife and two sons.

‘‘We didn’t ask him where he lives now and he didn’t tell us anything,’’ says Kamla Bhagchandani. Dulani’s absence is being felt in court because his testimony was crucial. ‘‘He was our only direct evidence,’’ says Jeevan Ram Choudhary, additional director of prosecution. Counters Khan’s counsel Hastimal Saraswat: ‘‘He’s not missing. There are reports that he has gone with his wife somewhere to earn.’’

Meanwhile, there is another case in court where Khan is accused of killing two blackbucks at Bagro ki Dhani near Kankani, 25 km from Jodhpur, in the Bishnoi dominated area on October 1, 1998. In fact, it was while investigating this case that assistant conservator of forest Lalit Bora discovered the earlier two chinkara incidents.

The case — in which the formidable Bishnois are eyewitnesses — has been crawling on in the munsif district court. ‘‘The main reason for the delay in the case is that the seat of the magistrate has been vacant for nearly six months,’’ says public prosecutor Nand Kishore Sankhla. The magistrate’s seat has been vacant on two earlier occasions too since the case begun.

The Bishnois are waiting to see how their case progresses. Known for their committment to conserving wildlife, they inhabit about 24 villages in the Gudha Bishnoian area. The 2002 census puts the number of chinkaras and black bucks in this belt at 4,500.

‘‘We were sleeping outside our house when I saw some light and then gun shots at about one at night. I woke up my husband,’’ recalls Phumboo Devi. She says her husband, Chauga Ram Bishnoi, and others gave chase to the Gypsy which they alleged was driven by Salman Khan who, according to them, was accompanied by Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre.

‘‘We were on our motorcycles and chased them for a few hours but lost them. I even hit his Gypsy with my lathi,’’ says Shera Ram, a truck driver. ‘‘But see, nothing has happened to him,’’ he adds. Bhanwar Lal, owner of a tea shop a few kilometres away on the busy road that leads to Jodhpur remembers the film stars stopping by a day before the incident.

‘‘They stayed for about 10 minutes and had tea. They asked me where they would find herds of deer and I told them about that place. How did I know they would go shooting?’’ he says. ‘‘Lots of people especially foreigners, ask us where to find deer because they want to shoot photographs,’’ says Lal. He says he regrets that day.