NEW DELHI: The Geetha Johri interim reports painstakingly put together the jigsaw pieces that show the cold-blooded and gruesome murders of three persons in Gujarat — of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a fake "encounter" by the police on November 26, 2005, of his wife Kausarbi a few days later, and another fake "encounter" death of Tulsiram Prajapati, an associate of Sohrabuddin and key witness in the case, on December 28, 2006.

The four interim reports of the Inspector-General of Police build up a chilling picture, bit by bit, of the involvement of senior police officers of Gujarat and Rajasthan in the murders that were sought to be passed off as "encounter" deaths of hardened criminals and terrorists who had a plan to kill Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

But more than this, part B of the fourth interim report, which describes Minister of State for Home Amit Shah as "respondent number 2," says he "brought to bear pressure" on G.C. Raigar, (respondent No. 7) Commandant-General, Home Guards, who was holding additional charge of the State CID (Crime & Railways). Mr. Raigar asked Ms. Johri to "suspend the enquiry" and he "took away papers of enquiry under the guise of scrutiny." This, the report noted, led to cancellation of a visit by inspector V.L. Solanki to Hyderabad on December 18, 2006 for further enquiries.

"Killing of Prajapati"

Part B, titled "The killing of Tulsiram Prajapati," notes that police officers D.G. Vanzara and Rajkumar Pandian, who have since been arrested, came to know that the investigating team wanted to meet and interrogate Prajapati as a witness in the Sohrabuddin "encounter" case. The enquiry "papers" were taken away from Ms. Johri on December 18, 2006, and Prajapati met his end in an "encounter" 10 days later.

The details of the Prajapati encounter are that he was apparently brought to Ahmedabad from the Central Jail in Udaipur in Rajasthan to be present in a court on December 26, 2006. The police version was that he was being taken back to Udaipur on a train the next day, but two persons "threw chilly powder" in the eyes of the police escort and freed him.

The police then claimed that Prajapati was "sighted" in Banaskantha district (at that time Mr. Vanzara was posted there as DIG Border Range) on December 28, 2006, and killed in an encounter.

They claimed that a police patrol was moving in the area when three individuals (including Prajapati) tried to stop the jeep. Even as one of the constables "recognised" Prajapati, he took out a weapon and fired at the police party. An encounter ensued and Prajapati was killed.

"Highly suspicious"

The report describes this police version as "highly suspicious." It asks why an absconder would stop a police jeep. How could a constable in the jeep "identify" Prajapati at 5 a.m. on a cold winter morning when it is dark?

The report also notes that Mr. Vanzara was transferred out of the Anti-Terrorism Squad on December 13, 2006, and he resumed duties in the Border Range immediately.

The report says that in fact Mr. Vanzara "spoke to Vipul Aggarwal, Superintendent of Police, Banaskantha district, who is a novice and a young officer and arranged the said encounter."

The report also dwells on why Prajapati was eliminated. It was clear that Sohrabuddin and Prajapati had been known to each other since 1999 and 2000 "when they were together in Ujjain jail." Prajapati apparently told Mr. Rubahbuddin, brother of Sohrabuddin, that on November 24, 2005, the Anti-Terrorist Squad in Ahmedabad had called him to a flat where Sohrabuddin and Kausarbi were present. The ATS got the couple identified by Prajapati, who, therefore, was "a material witness to the killing of Sohrabuddin and [the] disappearance of Kausarbi."

The report says Mr. Amit Shah directed Mr. Raigar to provide him with a list of witnesses, both police and private, who were yet to be contacted by CID (Crime) for recording their statement.

"Patently illegal"

The report says: "Such direction of the Minister of State for Home goes beyond the scope of his office, was patently illegal and apparently designed to provide the same list to the accused police officers, that is respondents No. 4 & 5, so as to enable them to take measures in their defence."

There is another record of a meeting "on or about 30th January 2006" at the Circuit House in Gandhinagar, called by Mr. Shah. Director-General of Police P.C. Pande, Mr. Raigar, and Ms. Johri were present.

"In the meeting he [Amit Shah] attempted to influence the Investigating Agency into believing that Smt. Kausarbi was not a lawfully married wife of Sohrabuddin." It was at this meeting that Mr. Shah admitted to the senior police officers that Kausarbi had been killed.

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