Gujarat polls: KD Patadia joins BJP

Former police officer and a witness in Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case, KD Patadia joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, with two other retired officers. Former additional police commissioners of Surat, BD Waghela and BK Shrimali are the other two IPS officers who joined the saffron party.

Patadia, who retired as additional director general of police (ADGP) of Police Training Academy, Karai in Gandhinagar on June 30, 2012, is mentioned as witness in CBI’s chargesheet in the fake encounter case. BJP MLA and CM Modi’s close aide, Amit Shah is Accused No1 in the matter. 

BJP’s national vice-president, Purushottam Rupala welcomed Patadia to the party-fold by calling a media conference at party’s central office at Khanpur. When this newspaper questioned why he has named in CBI’s chargesheet, Patadia avoided the question and said, “It’s just a routine statement. There is nothing controversial about it.”

But Rupala opined that Patadia’s entry in the party won’t affect his status as witness in the fake encounter case. When queried that CBI might object to the recruitment, Rupala was visibly uncomfortable. “Do we have to take a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from CBI,” asked Rupala.

Mukul Sinha, who is lawyer to Prajapati’s mother in the fake encounter case, termed the move unethical and blamed BJP of double standards with police officers.

“The government has a carrot-and-stick for police officers in the state. It dangles carrots in front of those cops who bow before it, but shows the stick who refuse to toe the party line,” said Sinha.