even after that we were arrested and locked up in jail as i fired upon the mob in selfdefence with my licensed revolverhe informed the commission that the residents went through hell for almost four hours and it was only around 6 pm that they heaved a sigh of relief when the deputy police commissioner vm pargi arrived with a sizable force and dispersed the mob a witness deposing before the nanavatishah commission probing the communal riots in gujarat created a sensation on thursday claiming former home minister haren pandya was in the mob which attacked housing societies in the paldi area ahmedabad on february 28 2002the witness yunus bhavnagri a dentist claimed that pandyas presence made the police ignore the sos calls of muslims residing in paldi area of the slain ministers ellisbridge constituency the police later took the residents to hospital for firstaid and medical assistance pandya was gunned down in the law garden area on march 26 in what was seen as a reprisal killing by some radical groups he told justice g t nanavati retd and justice retd k g shah that he saw pandya in the mob this was probably the reason why the police despite being present at the site turned a deaf ear to all cries for help he said bhavnagri would be crossexamined on friday ahmedabad he made his deposition on the second day of the hearing on the ahmedabad incidents bhavnagri had fired at the rioting mob on the day of the vhp bandh on february 28 last year killing two persons apparently in selfdefence however police officers on being contacted claimed that even during the the hearing of bhavnagaris bail application it had been clarified that pandya was present there only to save the residents from the mob the police who were present at the spot not only allowed the mob a free hand but also gave them a helping hand by firing and lobbying tear gas on residents bhavnagari said bhavnagari said the mobs went on rampage in the area around 2 pm burning shops and houses and indulging in heavy stonepelting the dentist alleged that his son amir was hit on the chest by a bullet