Sohrabuddin encounter case: Amit Shah among main conspirators, claims CIO Sandeep Tamgadge

On Wednesday, the chief investigation officer (CIO) in a CBI court claimed that BJP president Amit Shah and three IPS officers were the main conspirators behind the alleged fake encounters of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati.

During his deposition before the CBI court, CIO Sandeep Tamgadge asserted that he did not have any evidence to prove his claim in the charge sheet filed by him. He said, “From the investigation done by us, we found the principal conspirators were Amit Shah, DG Vanzara (former Deputy Inspector-General Gujarat Police), Rajkumar Pandian (SP, Intelligence Bureau) and MN Dinesh (IPS officer, Rajasthan Police).”

It is to be noted that all four have been discharged by the trial court in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case. Tamgadge further said that he was not naming Shah and others without evidence, but admitted that the claim was not supported by any documentary evidence in the supplementary charge sheet filed in the case

Tamgadge, then Superintendent of Police (CBI), had prepared a supplementary charge sheet in the Sohrabuddin case and the main charge sheet in the Tulsiram case. Both cases are being tried together before special CBI judge S J Sharma here.

Replying to a question asked by the defence lawyer, Tamgade said he also had evidence to conclude that Sohrabuddin Shaikh and his partner Prajapati were used by Amit Shah, then Home Minister of Gujarat, for firing at the office of an Ahmedabad-based builder.

Tamgadge further answered that he had interrogated Shah, a marble trader from Rajasthan Vimal Patni and Rajasthan minister Gulabchandra Kataria in the case. “There was some incriminating material against the trio. But those statements were not filed in the charge sheet,” he added.

The defence then moved an application, saying that the CBI should produce these statements in the court. The court will hear the application Thursday.

Also Read: Sohrabuddin Fake Encounter: Amit Shah politically, monetarily benefited, says CIO Amitabh Thakur