The Gujarat government today said that they will take “appropriate” action after studying the Supreme Court order of the CBI inquiry into the encounter of Soharabuddin Sheikh.
“We are yet to receive the copy of Supreme Court order, but we will take appropriate action on it after studying it,” state Health Minister and spokesperson Jaynarayan Vyas said.
On a question whether the apex court order was a setback, Vyas said, “It is a method of investigation, the state obviously and naturally must rely upon the state agencies. Because unless the state reposes that trust and faith in the state agency it could be demoralising for them.
Therefore the state thought it fit that the matter be investigated by the state agency.”
“This is not the first case where such a decision has been given. We are already going through the SIT and I do not think the state has anything to hide or worry about,” he said.
The decision of apex court to hand over the inquiry of fake encounter and subsequent alleged killing of Soharabuddin’s wife Kausar Bi has come as a setback to the Gujarat government, which had been maintaining that the state police was conducting the inquiry in an impartial manner.
Meanwhile, Soharabuddin’s brother Rubabuddin Sheikh was elated with Supreme Court’s decision.
“We have been asking the Supreme Court to direct for a CBI inquiry for a long time. Now, with this decision, I think I will be able to get proper justice for my brother who was killed in a fake encounter,” Rubabuddin said.
Suspended DIG D. G. Vanjara and R. K. Pandiyan (both Gujarat cadre IPS officers), besides Dinesh M. N. (Rajasthan cadre IPS officer) are behind bars for the encounter.
Gujarat DSP N. K. Amin is also an accused in the case for the alleged murder of victim’s wife Kausar Bi. Besides, nine other policemen are also jailed in the case.
Soharabuddin, along with his wife Kauser Bi and another person, was picked up during a joint operation by the state and Andhra Pradesh police. They were picked up from a bus on their way to Sangli in Maharashtra from Hyderabad on November 22, 2005.
Soharabuddin was gunned down allegedly in a fake encounter in a joint operation by the Gujarat police’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Rajasthan police, claiming that he had come to the city to eliminate Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The accused cops are also alleged to have killed Soharabuddin’s wife Kauser Bi and their accomplice Tulsi Ram Prajapati to destroy evidence.
