Ishrat case: New FIR lodged by SIT, CBI to carry further probe

Ishrat case: New FIR lodged by SIT, CBI to carry further probe

Mahesh Langa, Hindustan Times
Ahmedabad, December 15, 2011

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) which probed the controversial fake encounter of Ishrat and three others, has on Thursday lodged a new FIR with the CBI, which has been directed for further probe by the Gujarat high court. "We have given the 22 page complaint for lodging of new FIR in

the case. The complaint has historical facts of the case and evidence gathered by the SIT which led to conclusion that the encounter was staged by the cops," a member of the three member SIT told HT. "The cops involved in the encounter are to be booked for abduction, illegal confinement, criminal conspiracy and murder of four persons. The complaint does not name any police cop because names will be added during the process of investigation," he added.
According to him, cops whose names are mentioned in the original FIR filed by Ahmedabad police after the encounter was carried out will be retained while whose names are not mentioned and yet they are found responsible will be added by the investigation agency.
The FIR lodged by the crime branch of Ahmedabad police after the encounter mentioned names of IPS DG Vanjara (suspended and now in jail as a prime accused in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case), IPS Girish Singhal, now SP Kheda district, deputy SP Tarun Barot and NK Amin ( Amin is also suspended and is in jail as another accused on Sohrabuddin case), police inspectors KM Vaghela and JG Parmar (both retired now) and other lower rank policemen.
On December 1, Gujarat high court division bench of Justices Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari ordered CBI probe in the case, after the SIT headed by Bihar cadre IPS RR Verma stated in the report that the encounter was staged.
While handing over the case to the central agency, the benched had remarked that the case was "exceptional and had national ramification." The court had also held that the Gujarat police could not be trusted to carry out impartial probe in the case.
Ishrat and three others were killed by the Ahmedabad police on June 15, 2004 and the police claimed that the four were affiliated with Pakistan based LeT and were tasked with a mission to kill Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.
Originally, Ishrat's family had sought CBI probe into the case but the Modi government had opposed it and as a result SIT headed by non Gujarat officer was created to probe.
This the is the fourth fake encounter case the central agency CBI has been asked to probe in Gujarat. It is already investigating Sohrabuddin and Tulsi Prajapati cases, both handed over to it by the Apex Court while Gujarat HC had asked CBI probe Sadiq Jamal encounter case.