Ishrat SIT’s advert seeks info from people

The special investigation team (SIT) set up by the Gujarat High Court to probe the Ishrat Jahan encounter case has to submit its report to the court on November 18, indicating whether the encounter was fake or not.

On Friday, the probe team placed an advertisement in local newspapers requesting people to report to it any information they may have regarding the case. The advertisement was released in the name of RR Verma, additional director general of police, CISF, who is the chairman of the probe team, along with his phone number and address.

This is the third time the SIT has put out such an advertisement. The last two times, it was the previous chairmen of the probe team who had placed similar advertisements.

However, sources in the police said that this was routine procedure and was required before the SIT submitted its report to the high court next week.

The Ishrat SIT has had four chairmen (include Verma) and has reconstructed the crime scene three times. Moreover, it has been in the news for the 'internal conflict' between its members. Hence, it will be a real test for the SIT to come to a concrete conclusion regarding the encounter in the report it has to submit before the HC.

Earlier, three senior IPS officers - Karnail Singh, Satyapal Singh and JV Ramudu - who were appointed chairmen of the Ishrat SIT had opted out of the team within a span of one year. RR Verma was appointed after Ramudu declined to become chairman citing health reasons.

Senior IPS officers of Gujarat cadre - Mohan Jha and Satish Verma - are the other two members of the three-member Ishrat SIT.

Mumbai-girl Ishrat Jahan, Javed alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in a shootout with crime branch officials on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in June 2004. The police had alleged at the time that the four were LeT operatives on a mission to kill chief minister Narendra Modi.