The South Asian: Fake Killings: 13 Cops Chargesheeted

July 28, 2007

Fake Killings: 13 Cops Chargesheeted

The CID (Crime) on 17th July filed a chargesheet in the metropolitan court against 13 police officials accused in the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and disappearance of his wife Kausar Bi.

The 700-page chargesheet primarily accuses the 13 officials of kidnapping, illegal confinement and murder of Shaikh and his wife Kausar Bi. The chargesheet, which has statements of 190 witnesses, also points out that suspended DIG D G Vanjhara burnt the body of Kausar Bi in the presence of Deputy SP Narendra Amin and SP Raj Kumar Pandian on a dry river bed in Vanjhara’s native village Illol.

All the 13 officials have also been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy, creating false evidence, preparing false certificates and the Arms Act. Amin, who was earlier granted anticipatory bail by a Sessions court, has also been included as one of the accused in the chargesheet on this ground. The chargesheet has been filed against D G Vanjhara, Raj Kumar Pandian, Dinesh M N, M L Parmar, N K Amin, Abdul Rehman Sheikh, N S Dabhi, B R Chaube, Shyam Singh Charan, Himanshu Singh, N D Chauhan, Ajay Parmar and Santram Sharma.

According to the chargesheet, on November 26, 2005, Shaikh was taken from Disha farmhouse near Gandhinagar, where he and his wife Kausar Bi were kept, and was killed in a staged encounter. On November 28, Kausar Bi was killed. The chargesheet states that on November 28, 2005, Vanjhara and SP Rajkumar Pandian travelled in a Zen from Disha farmhouse near Gandhinagar to a riverbank in Ilol. Their vehicle was followed by a jeep in which deputy SP Narendra Amin and Inspector Balakrishna Chaube were seated. The vehicle carried the body of Kausar Bi. After the accused reached the spot, Sub-Inspector N V Chauhan arrived in a tempo filled with wood to burn Kausar Bi’s body. The chargesheet states that Chaube and Chauhan later dispersed her ashes.

According to the chargesheet, the accused left Disha farmhouse as the farmhouse had to be occupied by someone else. The chargesheet further identifies the third person with whom the Shaikh couple was abducted from a bus that year as one Kalimuddin. The chargesheet lists as evidence recovered from the accused a driving licence, railway ticket and mobile phones. A revolver, two cartridges and a bike have been shown as evidence in the case, the chargesheet says.

The Surat-Ahmedabad railway ticket found in Sohrabuddin's pocket has also been placed as evidence to prove that there were discrepancies about his whereabouts during that week. The chargesheet states that when the joint team of Gujarat ATS and Rajasthan Police went to Hyderabad to pick up Sohrabuddin, they had sought and received help of Hyderabad police. Apart from the Gujarat and Rajasthan police, five AP policemen were present when the luxury bus was intercepted and Shaikh and his wife were taken away. Soil samples collected from the place where Kausar Bi was burnt and results of the viscera examination reports of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, which are yet to be determined are also an important evidence according to the chargesheet. Of the 13 people accused in the case, 12 are already in police custody, including Vanjhara, SP Rajkumar Pandian and SP Dinesh M N of the Rajasthan Police. Amin, the 13th accused, was arrested earlier but is out on bail.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/205229.html

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