Ahmedabad, April 27:In a new turn of events, 14 policemen allegedly connected with the 2004 encounter death of Ishrat Jahan have demanded that the probe be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation or a new Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The petition by the 14 policemen was filed in the High Court on Tuesday following a division bench last week entrusting the investigation exclusively to IPS officer Satish Verma while the other IPS officer Mohan Jha was asked to look after only the administrative work.
Union Territory cadre IPS officer Karnail Singh, chief of the three-member SIT formed on orders of the High Court, was relieved due to the Mizoram Government’s reluctance to let him come here frequently.
In the petition in the High Court, the 14 cops including IPS officer GL Singhal alleged that they were being victimised due to the ongoing ‘infighting’ and ‘groupism’ among Gujarat cadre IPS officers.
Inspector General of Police Satish Verma, who was handed over the charge of the probe last week, is acting in connivance with IPS officers who had personal grudges against them, the petition in the High Court by the 14 policemen alleged.
It is interesting to note that the 14 policemen have not been named as accused in the Ishrat Jahan encounter on June 15, 2004 but two of them, GL Singhal and Tarun Barot were transferred from their crucial postings last week following instructions from the High Court.
Additional DGP PP Pande too was transferred but he is not among the 14 petitioners.
Authorised by the High Court to take in an officer of SP or DIG rank to assist him, Satish Verma might bring in someone who might have a bias against them, the petitioners apprehended.
They said that Satish Verma may take some ‘coercive’ steps against them even before the High Court appoints a new chief of the SIT in place of Karnail Singh, who was relieved last week.
The petition also alleged that Verma was using ‘extra legal’ methods to implicate them in the encounter case, including coercion to extract statements suiting his line of investigation.
–Agencies–