By TCN News,
New Delhi: The order of the Gujarat High Court constituting a new SIT today to probe the encounter of Ishrat Jahan has caused concern and apprehension among rights activists as the new SIT will be headed by a Delhi police officer under whose regime Delhi has witnessed several controversial police encounters.
“The new SIT does not inspire confidence and lacks credibility, as the police officer heading the SIT, Mr. Karnail Singh is well known for supporting encounter killings in Delhi including the controversial Batla House encounter in September 2008, the killing of an alleged terrorist near Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in May 2006 and the killing of 2 alleged LeT persons in April 2005. All these encounters were conducted during his tenure as Joint Commissioner of Police, Special Branch, Delhi and have been the subject of enquiry and debate,” said eminent lawyer Vrinda Grover and noted civil rights activist Shabnam Hashmi.
“Senior activists as well as Ishrat Jehan’s family are worried whether a SIT headed by such a police officer will be able to unmask the truth of this encounter in which senior police officers of Gujarat are involved,” they further said.
Shamima Kauser, the mother of Ishrat Jehan, has since 2004 been praying for the investigation into the fake encounter to be handed over to the CBI.