Johri may wash her hands of Gujarat killing inquiry

Interference from state angers IGP

AHMEDABAD: After Deputy Inspector General of Police Rajneesh Rai, it seems to be IGP Geetha Johri’s turn to wash her hands of the inquiry into Gujarat’s fake encounters.

A source said the state government’s interference, despite the Supreme Court barring it from doing so, has irked Johri so much that it is just a matter of time before she leaves.

The source said Johri lost her cool on Tuesday evening when she was told to report to Additional DGP (crime) OP Mathur. There was a rumour on Wednesday that Johri had returned the case file.

The Supreme Court had rejected petitions seeking a CBI inquiry into the killings and ordered Johri to report directly to it. But the source said this arrangement is worse for the government, which is why it is probably hoping for Johri’s exit.

“If the CBI indicts the government, CM Narendra Modi could claim to be a victim of an inquiry rigged by the UPA,” a lawyer at the Gujarat high court explained. “But if the CID indicts him, there would be no reprieve.”