The witness retracted a statement made before the court in 2010

In a major setback to the prosecution in the 2008 Bengaluru serial bomb blasts case, a prime witness against People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Abdul Nasser Maudany — who is the prime accused — turned hostile on Tuesday. The witness even retracted a statement made before the court in 2010.

Rafeeq, a daily-wage labourer working in an estate in Somwarpet in Kodagu, had earlier stated before the court that Maudany had come to Somwarpet along with others and held a meeting to discuss and plan the blasts. The police had then made him the prime witness. However, Rafeeq, who deposed before the session court said he was threatened by the police to give a statement against Maudany. He told the court on Tuesday that he saw Maudany for the first time on the court premises.

Rafeeq also said the police had forcibly made him sign some documents, some of which were in English. The police had threatened to make him one of the accused in the case.

The Bengaluru city police had filed a case of sedition against a Tehalka journalist, Shaheena, accusing her of tampering with evidence, after she interviewed Rafeeq and published a story about how the police were forcing witnesses in the case.