Ahmedabad, July 28: RR Verma Thursday took charge as the fourth chief of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Ishrat Jahan police encounter case at the agency’s office in Shahibaug area here.
Verma, a 1978 batch IPS officer, was appointed as chairman of the three-member SIT set up by Gujarat High Court which is monitoring the probe.
He is currently posted as Additional Director General with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in Delhi.
“I have taken charge of the SIT today following the orders of the Gujarat High Court and the notification issued in this regard by the Gujarat government,” Verma told reporters after taking charge.
“From here we will be moving forward with the investigations. I cannot tell you the direction as I have just taken charge,” said Verma, who was accompanied by other two SIT members, Mohan Jha and Satish Verma.
The IPS officer was appointed as SIT chief on July 19 after J V Ramudu, an Andhra Pradesh cadre IPS officer who was assigned with the responsibility on July 15 by the High Court, declined to join citing health reasons.
Ramudu had further said his consent in the matter was not taken by the Union government, which was contrary to the statement made by it before the division bench of Justice Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari hearing the case.
—PTI