The CBI has urged the Supreme Court to hand over to it the investigation of the killing of Tulsiram Prajapati as part of the Sohrabuddin encounter case for unravelling the role of the former Gujarat Minister of State of Home, Amit Shah, and police officers.
In its response to the petition filed by Narmada Bai, mother of Prajapati, for a CBI probe, the agency said it came to light during investigation that Prajapati was eliminated as he was a key witness in the criminal conspiracy for the abduction and killing of Sohrabuddin and his wife Kausar Bi by powerful and influential persons.
A Bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan took on record the CBI's response and adjourned by four weeks the hearing of Narmada Bai's petition.
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The CBI said its investigation revealed that Prajapati knew that his death was imminent at the hands of the Gujarat police in connivance with the Rajasthan police. He expressed his apprehension in his applications filed before the trial court and in his letters to the National Human Rights Commission.
It also emerged that police officials of the Anti-Terrorist Squad, Ahmedabad, were involved in the abduction and killing of Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi and for fair investigation, the police officials concerned were transferred to non-sensitive posts in other locations. However, Mr. Amit Shah ensured that D.G. Vanzara, DIG, was transferred, just 12 days prior to the killing of Prajapati, to the Border Range where the alleged fake encounter to eliminate him was executed on December 28, 2006.
“The planned cold-blooded murder of Prajapati is in utter contempt of the Supreme Court order, and was carried out in the most brazen manner by the powerful and influential accused when the investigation of the main matter of abduction and killing of Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi was being monitored by the court,” the CBI said.
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In the interest of public justice, the Prajapati fake encounter case should be tried along with the Sohrabuddin case as both were inter-connected, the agency said.