Political storm over acquittals
SOHRABUDDIN CASE The opposition parties averred that the CBI was under the influence of the BJP, which in turn sought an apology from the Congress for portraying gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh as a ‘saint and martyr’. NCP claimed that outcome of the case was
MUMBAI/AHMEDABAD: Opposition parties on Friday claimed that the acquittals of all remaining 22 accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged encounter case suggested that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was working under the influence of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and that the outcome of the case was “predecided”.
The BJP sought an apology from the Congress, alleging that the party portrayed Sheikh as a “saint and a martyr” in a bid to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The prime accused in the case and now acquitted, former Gujarat police officer D G Vanzara, said the stand of his team that if “Sohrabbudin was not killed, then he would have killed then (in 2005) Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’’ has been vindicated. “I was jailed for nine years because of political reasons,” he added.
Sohrabuddin’s brother Rabubuddin Sheikh, who was present at the hearing, expressed disappointment at the acquittals and said that he would file an appeal in a higher court. It was on Sheikh’s petition that the Supreme Court in 2010 transferred investigations from Gujarat’s crime investigation department to CBI.
Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill claimed: “It is extremely strange that since the BJP government has come to power, all witnesses have turned hostile, especially in cases involving Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh/bjp leaders.”
Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan took the allegation further, claiming that the “CBI was working under BJP’S pressure and therefore, all the accused in the case have been acquitted. “With the court’s verdict, the question now arises who killed them or they all committed suicide? The case has become mysterious now,” he said.
NCP’S chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said his party was not shocked at the verdict. “Acquittal of all 22 accused in the Sohrabuddin case is not shocking because the outcome of the case was pre-decided. A situation was created and all witnesses turned hostile under pressure,” Malik claimed. Refuting all opposition claims, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari claimed, “Those who misinformed everyone over the encounter case have been exposed now. Attempts were also made to prove that Sohrabuddin was a sort of saint or a martyr. They all should apologise before the country.” A special CBI court on Friday acquitted all 22 accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case for lack of evidence. Another 16 accused, including BJP president Amit Shah, were acquitted earlier.