A top police official, who was part of a court-appointed SIT to probe the killing of Ishrat Jahan, on Wednesday, said that it was a fake encounter and rejected allegations that there was pressure on them by former Home Minister P Chidambaram.
IPS officer and former SIT member Satish Verma also denied an allegation by R V S Mani – who had filed affidavits in the Gujarat High Court, in the case, on behalf of the Union Home Ministry – that he had tortured him by burning him with cigarette butts.
Replying to a query whether he stood by the probe conducted by the three-member SIT that the encounter was fake, Verma said,
National security cannot become a defence for the pre-medidated murder of a 19-year-old girl and be branded it as collateral damage. It is very unfortunate that national security was being used as a phrase to condone the extreme illegalities of the most serious crime in the book. It cannot happen. These raise concerns.
He also disputed the description of Ishrat as an LeT terrorist and a suicide bomber, saying she was away from her home and family for only about 10 days after she came into contact with a Pakistani terrorist Javed Sheikh.
You would know how much time you take to train an LeT terrorist and a suicide bomber...this time (that she was away from home) was not enough.
Verma also contradicted former Union Home Secretary G K Pillai’s claim of knowing the exact details of the case saying he was “no intelligence officer.”
He said Mani’s affidavit filings were “curious” as they did not look like the Home Ministry’s version but that of the Gujarat police investigation.
“Mr Mani had no direct knowledge of the case...,” he said adding that the allegations made by Mani against him were “old” and have been made by him earlier too.
‘Chidambaram Solely Cleared Affidavit in Ishrat Jahan Case’
Former Under Secretary (Internal security) of Union Home Ministry R V S Mani, who signed both the affidavits in the Ishrat Jahan case alleged that he was tortured by SIT chief Satish Verma, according to Times Now reports on Tuesday.
Former Home Secretary G K Pillai had said in an interview to Times Now that the UPA government deleted all references to the LeT from a case-related affidavit.
The Hindu reported saying, the missing information in the affidavit of the case was deleted by former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, an audit of the filings at the time have revealed.
Mr Chidambaram wrote on 23 September 2009, “As amended. Pls show clear copy before it is sent to court on the morning of 24/9”.The Hindu Report
(With inputs from PTI)
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