Big names involved in Sohrab case: CBI tells SC

CNN IBN

Ahmedabad, 31 July 2010: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told the Supreme Court on Friday that bigger names are involved in the alleged encounter of Sohrabuddin Seikh and the case should be moved out of Gujarat. The CBI claims the atmosphere in the state is not conducive to a fair investigation. The agency said the investigation might go beyond former Gujarat Home minister Amit Shah and thus sought more time from the apex court while filing a status report on the case. The agency also requested the apex court to hand over the Tulsi Prajapati encounter case to them which is related to Sohrabuddin encounter.

 

Meanwhile, Gujarat CID on Friday filed a 1000-page chargesheet in the encounter case of Tulsi Prajapati against seven police officials in Danta court of Banaskantha district. The chargesheet names three IPS officers D G Vanzara, Vipul Agrawal and Dinesh M N as the main accused in the case. All of them have been charged with murder, kidnapping, giving false evidence and conspiracy. A total of 139 witnesses have been quoted in the chargesheet. The CID has so far arrested Banaskantha SP Vipul Agarwal and inspector Ashish Pandya in the case.

 

 

Vanzara and Dinesh have been in police custody for over three years. Prajapati, the sole witness to Sohrabuddin encounter in November 2005, was killed in an encounter a year later in December 2006. Some more BJP leaders could be in trouble. One Azam Khan, who was in Udaipur jail with Prajapati from 2005 to 2006, has told CBI that Prajapati and Sohrabuddin used to extort money from businessmen for Gujarat IPS officer Abhay Chudasama.

 

Khan claims Prajapati had told him that former Rajasthan Home minister and BJP leader Ghulab Chand Kataria was paid Rs 10 crore by the owners of RK Marbles for killing Sohrabuddin. CNN-IBN has a copy of Khan’s statement. CBI claims prominent marble traders including RK Marbles in Rajasthan were being harassed by Sohrabuddin for money and they approached Kataria in 2005 for help. When Dinesh, an IPS officer of Rajasthan cadre, was arrested in connection with the encounter in 2007, Kataria and then DGP flew to Gujarat to intervene on his behalf.