IPS officers arrested for fake encounters in Gujarat

April 24: After a series of baffling events Gujarat police finally was met with the luck as they arrested three senior IPS officers for their allegedly involvement in a fake encounter in Gandhinagar, in 2005. The names of the arrested IPS officers are- DG Vanjara, Inspector General of Border Range and Raj Kumar Pandian, Superintendent of Police in the state intelligence bureau Gujarat and one more officer Dinesh Kumar, who belongs to Rajasthan cadre.

A young man, named Soharabudin Shaikh, was killed on Nov 26, 2005 in a fake encounter in Gandhinagar. It was a joint operation carried by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Rajasthan police.

The CID started investigating after the Supreme Court order following the petition filed by Soharabudin's brother. Also a legislator of BJP had demanded CBI inquiry of reports of extra judicial killings in the state.

Reportedly, Soharabudin and his wife were traveling from Ahmedabad to Sangli and on their way they were stopped by the police. He was shot and the police later on claimed that he was a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative.

Later Sorabuddin's brother filed a petition in the Supreme Court saying this it was a fake encounter. After CID inquiry, the Gujarat government finally admitted in the court that it was a fake encounter.