Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh on Thursday intervened in the ongoing tussle between the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) over the premier probe agency’s decision to interrogate latter’s Special Director Rajinder Kumar in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case.
Mr. Singh held a meeting with CBI Director Ranjit Sinha and IB Director Asif Ibrahim to sort out differences between the two heads on the issue. Informed sources said while Mr. Ibrahim objected to media glare on the issue and pointed towards IB’s image getting sullied due to questioning of its officer, Mr. Sinha insisted that they have enough evidence against Mr. Kumar. The CBI head assured the IB chief that they would maintain confidentiality while handling the case.
The CBI has been claiming that it has credible evidence to interrogate Mr. Kumar in connection with the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case. It is alleged that the IB officer, while posted in Gujarat in 2004, had given fake intelligence inputs regarding Ishrat Jahan and also about a purported plan by a Lashkar-e-Taiba module to eliminate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
After having questioned Mr. Kumar once, the CBI again summoned him on Friday. But the IB officer has sought exemption from appearance before the CBI till next week citing personal reasons. It has issued fresh notices to the officer under the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure as previous examination of the officer was not satisfactory and replies given by him appeared diversionary, CBI sources said. The CBI plans to file charge sheet soon in connection with the fake encounter, they added.
On the instructions of the Gujarat High Court, the CBI started probing the alleged fake encounter in which Ishrat Jahan, Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004 allegedly by a Crime Branch team led by DIG Vanzara.
