Author: IANS
Publication: Newkerala.com
Date: September 8, 2009
URL: http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-108088.html
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday cited
a union home ministry affidavit of last month to say that Mumbai collegian
Ishrat Jahan and her three friends killed in a 2004 Ahmedabad shootout were
terrorists and planned attacks in India.
On June 15, 2004, Ishrat from Mumbra in Thane
district and her three friends - Javed Ghulam Sheikh alias Pranesh Kumar Pillai,
Amjad Ali alias Rajkumar Akbar Ali Rana and Jisan Johar Abdul Gani - were
shot dead by Ahmedabad Police's Crime Branch (Detection) on the outskirts
of the city.
The affidavit, submitted by R.V.S. Mani, under
secretary in the home ministry in August, in the case states, among other
things: "It is submitted that the Union of India in 2004 received specific
inputs to suggest that Lashkar-e-Taiba had been planning to carry out terrorist
activities in various parts of the country, including the state of Gujarat."
It says: "Two of the persons killed in
the police encounter on 15.6.2004 were Pakistani nationals and it was known
that they were sent by LeT to carry out terrorist actions in Gujarat. One
of killed LeT cadre and Pak national was Amjad Ali alias Babbar alias Salim."
"The Jammu and Kashmir police arrested
June 25-28, a group of LeT terrorists headed by the chief operational commander
for Central Kashmir, Shahid Mehmud and his Pakistani associate Zahid Ahmed.
In their disclosures, they mentioned that Amjad Ali alias Babbar alias Salim
had entered India under express instructions from Muzammil for organising
terrorist networks in Gujarat and Maharashtra," the home ministry affidavit
says.
As for Javed and 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan,
the affidavit says: "Hiring of Ishrat Jahan appears to be a part of the
LeT conspiracy to provide cover to Javed alias Pramesh Kumar of being husband
and wife during his movements to various parts of the country, including Ahmedabad,
Lucknow and Ibrahimpur (Faizabad - UP) for accomplishment of his terrorist
operation."
It adds: Given Javed's background having worked
on menial jobs for most of his life, it would be quite clear to any reasonable
and prudent person including the petition that the visits of Javed and Ishrat
to Lucknow, Faizabad and Ahmedabad were not in connection with business of
perfume/toileteries nor would it require a young girl to accompany him to
such far off places."
Earlier in the day, BJP spokesperson Ravi
Shankar Prasad told reporters here: "The central government one month
back accepted that Ishrat was a terrorist....(the) Government of India and
ministry of home affairs came out clearly to say that they (Ishrat and three
friends) were part of the conspiracy,"
But on a magisterial inquiry report of Monday
that said the 2004 shootout was faked by the Gujarat police, Prasad only said
it "was not final."
Ahmedabad's metropolitan magistrate S.P. Tamang's
inquiry report asserted there was no shootout between the four youngsters
and the police. The report added that the four students were kidnapped from
Mumbai June 12, 2004, and killed in cold blood later, victims of extra-judicial
killing by law enforcers.
Hinting at a political conspiracy, Prasad
said: "Some people have problem with (Narendra) Modi's (Gujarat chief
minister) name because he has done development work. But the democratic results
of Gujarat are well known."
