Fall out on account of Ishrat Jahan Encounter Case (Based on the Article titled ‘Politicising Ishrat Jahan’ by The Hindu on 8th March 2016 by R.K.Raghavan, Former CBI Director and Former Joint Director of IB

On June 15, 2004, four suspected terrorists – viz. Javed Ghulam Sheikh ( Originally Pranesh Pillai , a Hindu converted  as Muslim and husband of Ishrat Jahan), Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar and Ishrat – all suspected as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives involved in a plot to assassinate the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi were killed at Ahmedabad  by the Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch and members of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) of Ahmedabad.  Ishrat and others were assessed as LeT operative  due to the categorical intelligence IB reports.

 The IB comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs and hence any report from IB supposed to have the stamp of approval by the Ministry of Home Affairs – read the Home Minister – then Chidambaram.  An affidavit was filed in the Gujarat High court stating that all the four were terrorists. Then, after around 60 days later, a second affidavit wherein the portion naming Isharat as an LeT person was omitted.  At that material time, it was presumed that all agencies – MHA, IB and CBI were on the same wave length in filing the second affidavit to decide that while 3 were LeT terrorists, Isharat was an innocent college girl.

But, unfortunately, G.K. Pillai, former Home Secretary and R.V.S. Mani, former Under Secretary, who had actually signed the two affidavits had accused then Home Minister P. Chidambaram unilaterally deciding to file an altered affidavit himself drafting the same. Worst, it was revealed that when Mani had refused to sign the second affidavit, Mani said to be coerced into signing the  second affidavit and was also tortured by Satish Verma, a CBI officer who was earlier heading the Special Investigation Team probing the Isharat case.

One reasonably can ask Mani why was he silent then? The fact is that Mani, on his transfer to the Urban Development Ministry from the MHA, had brought the barbaric treatment meted to him to the notice of top officials of his new boss in the Urban Development Ministry – but it was ignored by them. It is a fittest case for the National Human Rights Commission to look into this episode without delay.

The real fall out amongst others is the unfortunate factor that the most important wings of MHA, CBI and IB had become adversaries instead of acting in unison in the interest of national securities strictly complementing each others, as they are not adversaries. This sad state of affairs had allowed as they especially CBI had not played by the rule book and displayed overzealously in the process just to toe and dance to the tune of political masters to add ammunition to their nefarious antinational mindsets of Saffron or Hindu Terror agenda.

It is really unbecoming of G.K.Pillai in his utter failure in raising his voice of objection at that material time of changing the tone and tenor of the 2nd affidavit without his consent by Chidambaram – as it is now being revealed by him. If G.K.Pillai was intimidated into silence, then who cannot be?

During the long rules of UPAs I & II for a decade – both under the leadership of Manmohan Singh duly monitored, controlled and threatened by Mother and Son Duo, IB, CBI and MHA had become the major agencies to serve Congress Party as Caged Birds.  

THINK INDIA THINK.