By TCN Staff Reporter,
Ahmedabad: The suspense about the ‘missing’ Minister of State for Home Amit Shah came to an end on Wednesday, with the latter attending the state cabinet meeting and chairing a high-level meeting of the home and police department. The minister was conspicuous with his absence in some key government programs on May 1. His sudden disappearance coinciding arrest of an IPS officer in connection with Sohrabuddin case had caused suspense.
The minister, who is considered to be very close to chief minister Narendra Modi, had not been seen in his office and at government functions, including the much hyped Golden Jubilee function (Swarnim Gujarat) of the state government on May 1 and at a police function at Himmatnagar subsequently.
Gujarat’s minister of state for home, Amit Shah
This happened after the arrest of senior IPS officer Abhay Chudasma by CBI on April 29 in connection with the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and murder of his wife Kausar Bi. Chudasma is alleged to have conspired for the entire episode.
Chudasma, who was holding the most important post of deputy commissioner in Ahmedabad crime branch, was reported to be among the closest officials to Shah and is said to be privy to all vital information about Shah and his dealings. As the extra-judicial killing of Sohrabuddin, Kausar bi as also Tulsi Prajapati (the lone eye witness in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case) was alleged to have been done at the behest of some BJP politicians from Rajasthan having close rapport with their partymen in Gujarat, rumours had started about likely arrest of some politicians by CBI. Shah’s ‘absence’ from his office as also from the official functions was interpreted by a section of a media as a bid on his part to avoid arrest by CBI.
Though Shah did not face media after the cabinet meeting that continued for one and half hours in the morning, government spokesperson and State Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas confirmed during media briefing that Shah attended the cabinet meeting. However, he said nothing on Shah’s absence from Swarnim Gujarat and other functions. Shah is still not available to media.
So far, a total of five IPS officers and 14 other police personnel, involved in Sohrabuddin and Prajapati’s encounters have been arrested. While four IPS officers and 14 police personnel were arrested by Gujarat police itself and put behind bars, only one -Chudasma- was arrested by CBI. But the arrest of Chudasma provoked the state BJP leaders to level allegations that UPA government was using CBI as a weapon to malign Gujarat. They had also threatened to launch a public agitation against CBI in the state and stage a sit-in agitation in the national capital but gave up after BJP’s central leadership reportedly pulled them up.
Though Shah’s appearance at cabinet meet today ended the suspense but one thing has become clear that the BJP’s rank and file is in panic with progress in investigation of Sohrabuddin fake encounter case by CBI.
[Photo by www.timescontent.com]