Author: Arunima
Publication: IBNLive.com
Date: November 22, 2011
URL: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/ishrat-fake-encounter-pillai-defends-guj-govt/204799-3.html
A day after the Special Investigation Team
(SIT) told the Gujarat High Court that the Ishrat Jahan encounter was not
genuine, former Home Secretary GK Pillai on Tuesday has defended the Gujarat
government's claim that the Intelligence Bureau had given inputs against Ishrat.
But the revelation has now rekindled a critical
debate, is the murder of a terror suspect less unlawful than that of an innocent
19-year-old college girl?
While Ishrat's parents believe the SIT report
absolves her of any suspicion. Pillai much like the Gujarat government suggests
she may well have had links with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Pillai has told CNN-IBN that from the evidence
available, it was clear that Ishrat and others were involved in suspicious
activities. "Ishrat used to live with another man in different hotels,
which definitely was suspicious."
He recalled that the Lashkar-e-Toiba website
had called her a martyr and later removed it.
He also said that the SIT report was not a
comment on whether Ishrat was a terrorist or not. "The SIT only said
that from the evidence available, it was found out that the encounter was
fake, but there was no word on whether Ishrat and other were alleged terrorists
or not," Pillai said.
However, Pillai's comments came under heavy
fire by former DGP Gujarat Police RB Sreekumar who said the question is not
if Ishrat is a terrorist or not, the incident questions the credibility of
the Gujarat Police.
"This is irrelevant, way of responding
to situation, here the question is of Gujarat police conduct, she may not
be innocent. Her innocents would be declared by the court by the SC. Police
can't decide what to do," Sreekumar said.
In 2009, the home ministry then under Pillai
had said they received IB inputs that four LeT terrorists could target Chief
Minister Narendra Modi. This input was then shared with the state police.
Strangely within a fortnight the union government told the courts they had
no objection to a CBI probe into Ishrat's death.
The SIT, headed by IPS officer RR Verma and
including two other seniors police officers Mohan Jha and Satish Verma, said
that Ishrat along with Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjad Ali Rana and
Zeeshan Johar were killed prior to the date of encounter on June 15, 2004.
All three SIT officers came to an unanimous conclusion that the encounter
was fake.
On Wednesday, the Gujarat HC is likely to
hand over further investigation on SIT report to another agency to probe the
murder motive. Question is has Pillai's revelation given one more twist to
the Ishrat saga? Will we ever get to know the reality of Ishrat Jehan and
the reason she was killed?
