New Delhi, 27 November, 2011

Teesta Setalvad’s former aide Rais Khan, who had worked closely with Setalvad, made several allegations in his afidavit filed in Supreme court against Teesta including that Teesta had warned him of “dire consequences” if he will go against her.

Khan, who filed an affidavit in response to the apex court order, said he was removed from the post of field co-coordinator in the Setalvad headed NGO Citizen For Justice and Peace in January 2008, as he refused to “do certain acts which were not in the interest of communal harmony”.

“During the last two-and-half years I was leading a very quiet life with my family in Ahmedabad without mingling in the society. I was continuously getting threatening calls from Setalvad’s men during this period for not speaking anything against her.”

“I was warned of dire consequences, if, go against her. I was even asked to leave Ahmedabad and settle elsewhere by these callers. I lodged police complaints also about such threats in Rakhial Police Station, Ahmedabad but no action was taken by the police till date,” he said in the affidavit.

Khan, who confessed that he was facilitating witnesses in preparing affidavits at her behest, said Setalvad “use to send instructions and fully prepared affidavits” in his e-mail accounts, the passwords of which was also known to her.

He said most of the victims and witnesses were poor and uneducated but still their affidavits were prepared in English on the pretext that Gujarati was not accepted in the high court and the apex court with the help of a particular advocate and court notary.