No pressure to give statement: Sweeper

Giving a “clean chit” to the Mumbai Police, Deepak Gatar (35) — the JJ Hospital sweeper who had claimed he had put in the trash a bulletproof jacket during the 26/11 terror attacks — has said he was under no pressure when he gave his statement.

Giving a “clean chit” to the Mumbai Police, Deepak Gatar (35) — the JJ Hospital sweeper who had claimed he had put in the trash a bulletproof jacket during the 26/11 terror attacks — has said he was under no pressure when he gave his statement.

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The jacket was believed to have been used by then ATS chief Hemant Karkare in the moments leading up to his death in the attacks.

“Mumbai Police has done nothing wrong,” Gatar told journalists outside his house in the JJ Hospital compound. Gatar clarified on media reports that the police had offered him money to make the statement.

“The crime branch people told me if I had sold the jacket to anyone, they would give me money to buy it back, but I have not sold it, so there is no question of me taking money from them,” Gatar said, adding that crime branch officials had taken him to a magistrate who recorded his statement.

Gatar — who has worked at JJ Hospital since 1995 — said he had kept the jacket in a black plastic bag meant for garbage and remembers this because the jacket was heavy. “It had blood stains, but no holes,” he said, explaining that he had been on morning duty on November 27 when he found the jacket.

Gatar said he found only one bulletproof jacket, and that he did not know it belonged to Karkare at the time. He added that the bag was likely taken to Deonar, since black bags are meant for wet garbage, which goes to the Deonar dump.

Flanked by his wife and three children, Gatar said he had not come forward with the information until now because he did not know of any of the controversy around the jacket. “I don’t watch TV,” he said.