The investigating agency's move to investigate the encounter of Prajapati, who was Sohrabuddin Sheikh's friend and could have been a key witness, can create further problems for the Gujarat police officials.
The premier investigation agency CBI, which has been entrusted with the job of investigation in the sensational Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, has begun investigation into the alleged fake encounter of Tulsi Prajapati also to unearth if there was any 'larger conspiracy' as directed by the Apex Court.
The investigating agency's move to investigate the encounter of Prajapati, who was Sheikh's friend and could have been a key witness, can create further problems for the Gujarat police officials who are booked in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.
A high-level team of CBI headed by DIG P Kandaswamy has already visited the place where Tulsi was allegedly bumped off by Gujarat police in an encounter in Banaskantha district in North Gujarat.
It is alleged that Prajapati was killed by the Gujarat police as he was a key witness in the Sohrabuddin case and he was believed to be in the know of the role of Gujarat police officials in the fake encounter case.
"We are following the directions of the Supreme Court directions while pursuing the investigations into the case. As per the court’s directions, all aspects related to the fake encounter case will be looked into," a senior official of CBI said.
However, when asked whether the agency is also investigating the Prajapati encounter case, Kundaswamy refused a direct reply saying, "You go into the Apex Court order which has given directions which are being followed."
Prajapati was arrested by the Rajasthan Police in a criminal case and was escorted to Ahmedabad in December 2006 in another case against him. During that trip he was gunned down in an encounter in Banaskantha by Gujarat police.
Meanwhile, while delivering the order on the case last month, the Apex Court had said: "The CBI shall investigate all aspects of the case relating to the killing of Sohrabuddin and wife Kausar Bi, including the possibility of a larger conspiracy," said the bench, acting on a petition by Rubabuddin Sheikh, Sohrabuddin’s brother, who wanted the investigation transferred to an independent agency.
The Supreme Court had asked the CBI to inquire what really happened to Kausar Bi. "It is not clear from the eight Action Taken Reports (of the Gujarat police) as to what happened to Kausar Bi, nor is the mode of killing stated," the court said.
"It was only stated that she was seen in the company of ATS personnel on November 26, 2005 and her body was cremated four days later," the bench said. "The CBI will inquire into the identity of the seven Hyderabad Police personnel who accompanied the Gujarat Police team when Sohrabuddin and the others were picked up," directed the court in its order.
The court wanted to know from the CBI the real meaning of a phrase used by the Gujarat police on the fate of a third person, said to have been arrested along with Sohrabuddin. The literal translation of his 'fate' means he was "anyhow made to disappear."
"From a careful examination of the materials on record, including the eight ATRs submitted by state police, we are of the view that there are large and various discrepancies in the reports and the probe of the Gujarat police and chargesheet filed by the state investigating agency cannot be said to have run in a proper direction," the bench had said.
"We feel that police authorities of the State of Gujarat failed to carry out a fair and impartial investigation as we initially wanted them to do. It cannot be questioned that the offences the high police officials have committed was of grave nature which needs to be strictly dealt with," the bench said.
According to the bench, there was more to the incident than the state police version stated in the 2007 chargesheet that Sohrabuddin was killed to earn "fame and name."
Two Gujarat cadre IPS officer D G Vanzara and Rajkumar Pandian and one Rajasthan cadre IPS officer Dinesh MN are behind bars in the fake encounter case of Soharabuddin Sheikh.
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