Banaskantha: A local court in Danta has sent
suspended IPS officers D G Vanzara and Dinesh M N to 11 days
of police custody in Tulsi Prajapati fake encounter case.
Vanzara, IPS officer of Gujarat cadre and Dinesh M N of
Rajasthan cadre, were arrested by state state CID crime in the
Prajapati encounter case yesterday form Sabarmati jail where
they are lodged for the last two years as they are also
accused in Soharabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.
Prajapati, who was considered to be a key witness in
Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, was killed in an encounter
near Chapri village near Ambaji in Banaskantha district when
he tried to escape from custody while being shifted from
Rajasthan to Gujarat in December 2006.
Judicial Magistrate Danta S S Joshi granted 11 days
remand to CID against their demand of 15 days.
The CID submitted that they require the remand of the duo
to verify the claims of other police officers arrested in the
case who have said that they executed the fake encounter on
instructions of Vanzara who was Range Inspector General of
Police at that time.
The CID which is probing the Prajapati encounter case has
so far arrested seven policemen including an IPS officer Vipul
Agarwal who was SP Banaskantha in 2006, for alleged criminal
conspiracy and murder.
The CID submitted in the court that Prajapati had written
a letter some days before his encounter from Rajasthan jail
that he will be killed by police. The CID told that they
require the remand to check on this letter of Tulsi written to
his family members and court.
The CID also submitted that they tried to procure mobile
phone call records of Dinesh M N from Rajastan but the service
provider said they had destroyed it on the instructions of
Dinesh M N. They would like to further inquire into the
matter, they said.
Lawyers representing the accused countered that the
remand of the two was not required as both the police officers
are in jail for the last two years.
At time of Prajapati`s encounter in November 2006 Vanzara
was Border Range IG Gujarat, and Dinesh was the SP Udaipur,
Rajasthan.
Supreme Court has handed over the investigations of
Shorabuddin Sheikh encounter case and alleged murder of his
wife Kauser Bi to CBI earlier this year.
PTI
