Batla House encounter: Digvijay Singh sticks to claim, rules out apology

After Delhi Court convicted Indian Mujahideen`s Shahzad Ahmad in Batla house encounter, Congress Digvijay Singh reiterated his earlier stand for judicial inquiry into the shootout.

Zee Media Bureau New Delhi: After a Delhi Court convicted the lone suspected Indian Mujahideen operative Shahzad Ahmad in the 2008 Batla House encounter on Thursday, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh reiterated his earlier stand for judicial inquiry into the shootout. Digvijay, who had sparked a political storm by claiming that the encounter was fake, says he still stands by his earlier statement and refuses to apologise for it. Singh claims that had his demand for a judicial inquiry been met, "many things may have come to light". Talking to reporters, Singh said that he still stood by his statement and claims that he made it on the basis of the information given to him at that time. He said he had asked for a judicial inquiry into the whole thing but it was denied and tweeted, “I respect the Judgement on Batla House. It is for the aggrieved party to either accept the verdict or go into appeal.” “I had asked for a Judicial Enquiry into Batla encounter which I felt was fully justified but it was denied. I reiterate my earlier stand,” he added. About BJP`s demand for an apology from him, he said, "I never apologise to anyone. I will never apologise to the BJP in this life time." The court has fixed July 29 as the day for pronouncing order on sentence against Shahzad Ahmad. The encounter had taken place at at apartment in Batla House in Jamia Nagar locality, six days after serial bomb blasts rocked Delhi, killing 26 persons and injuring 133 others. The police had reached Batla House on a tip off that some suspected militants involved in the blasts were holed up in the building. Of the five flat occupants, Atif Ameen and Mohd Sajid were killed during the encounter. With PTI inputs