Ishrat Jahan case: Rath Yatra '04 a target?

CBI’s charge sheet in Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, which was filed on July 3, can be likened to a cupboard that keeps tumbling out skeletons every other day.

In yet another revelation, it has come to the fore that one of the victims of the fake encounter, Amjad Ali Rana, was an alleged operative of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) on a mission to wreak havoc on Rath Yatra 2004. He was not on a mission to assassinate CM Narendra Modi. This has been claimed in the statement of one of the accused police inspectors (probably, Bharat Patel) who spilled the beans during the investigation of the staged encounter.

Excerpts from the charge sheet read, “After long hours of patient and tactful interrogation by GL Singhal, the suspect had started speaking and had revealed his name as Amjadali Akbarali Rana, a native of Sargoda, Pakistan and his motive to carry out some terrorist strikes in densely populated Hindu areas of Ahmedabad.” This was revealed by the cop after interrogation by the CBI.

“The suspect Amjadali had also told about Muzammil, the commander of LeT, Rest of India (except J&K). He told me that their intention was to attack public places in Ahmedabad where a large number of people will gather (like Rath Yatra). He also said that he came from Pakistan and entered India through Bandipura sector via Sonad of J&K with twelve other members through launchpad of PoK,” the cop has further stated.

The cop has confessed before CBI that another victim, Javed Sheikh, was believed to be an associate of Amjad Ali Rana, as per the information of special director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), Rajinder Kumar. He has also admitted to misdeeds by his bosses when he was serving as the police sub-inspector with Detection of Crime Branch. He was working under then ACP GL Singhal, who is an accused in the case.

The cop gave his statement to the CBI investigator, G Kalaimani, stating that Amjad Ali Rana was detained by the accused police officers – then ACP NK Amin and PI Tarun Barot – from Gota Crossroads on May 27, 2004 with a satellite phone and Indian currency notes. Rana was detained at Arham Farm on Koba-Adalaj Road.

The statement further reads, “The then additional CP with DCB, DG Vanzara, and NK Amin had interrogated him (Rana) but it was of no use. He didn’t speak anything. In two days, he was in such bad condition that he couldn’t walk properly but had not given his name to the interrogators.” The cop has further stated that Singhal cut short his leave and started interrogating Rana which eventually yielded result.

While crossing LOC in Kashmir, he (Rana) had received a bullet injury on his shoulder in an encounter with security forces and he was kept in a house of Maulvi. He was treated in Srinagar hospital and then in Delhi,” the cop had revealed during his interrogation. “He used to communicate information to Pakistan through satphone in matrix format. This development was conveyed to Vanzara and Rajinder Kumar by Singhal.”