Vasant Laljibhai Solanki, a Gujarat police inspector who investigated the encounter killings of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife and Tulsiram Prajapati, alleged that the state has “tried everything” to ensure he stays away from the court, reported The Wire on Friday.
During the investigation, Solanki concluded that the encounters were fake and named senior police officers who were responsible for the extra-judicial killings. Solanki claimed he has received threats and faced pressure from the police department and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Solanki, who is scheduled to depose before a special CBI court in Mumbai on Friday, said security officials who have accompanied him since 2009 on the Supreme Court’s direction were withdrawn on July 18. He said he cannot travel from Ahmedabad to Mumbai to depose in the court until his security is restored.
“I was provided security for a reason,” said Solanki. “If a sitting judge can die suddenly, I am just an inconsequential retired police inspector. The government and the police can go to any extent to ensure everyone accused in the case gets a clean chit. They can kill too.” Solanki was referring to the death of Central Bureau of Investigation Judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya who was handling the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.
Solanki alleged that the state government provided no reason for withdrawing his security and that he has written at least eight letters, including to the state police department, the Supreme Court, the Gujarat High Court and the special CBI court conducting the trial, but has not received a response.
The retired police officer said he was concerned about his family’s security and wrote to all the departments in July hoping they would intervene. “And two months later on September 6, I was issued a summons from the special CBI court presided by judge SJ Sharma asking me to be present before the court to depose on September 21,” Solanki said. “It was clear why my security was suddenly pulled out,” he said, claiming that the state police withdrew his security to “discourage” him from deposing before the court.
In the letters written to the state departments and courts, Solanki said he was an important witness in the case and “pulling out security right when the case is on trial” has disturbed him. “I fear that I and my wife could be hurt in a mob attack,” he wrote in the letters, which were verified by The Wire.
Solanki said his statement to the court will be most crucial in the case and can ensure that the case, which is a “sinking ship”, can be saved with his testimony. “It is the state and the judiciary’s responsibility after all to ensure that the witness is protected and is able to depose fearlessly.”
Solanki said during the investigation he “had gathered damning evidence directly implicating Vanzara and party”, referring to former Inspector General of Gujarat DG Vanzara. He alleged that IPS officer Geeta Johri, who supervised the investigation, was one of the first officers who Amit Shah allegedly approached in November 2006 and asked to go easy on officers like Vanzara and Rajkumar Pandian.
“Johri madam asked me to go easy on the officers and asked me to alter several points noted in the investigation report I had prepared,” he alleged. “Three innocent lives were taken away in a sinister plan made by the politicians and executed by the police officers. There was no chance that I could be bought out.”
Solanki, who was due for a promotion in 2004, alleged that he was denied his due as he refused to accept the demands of senior officials. “It is an irony that an officer who faced every challenge to ensure justice was denied what was due to him, but the murderers were given promotions even after they were arrested and had to face the trial.”
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