Deputy Superintendent of Police M L Parmar, accused of being part of the encounter team that allegedly killed Sohrabuddin Shaikh and his wife Kausar Bi, surrendered in Gandhinagar on Friday.

In a related development, three Rajasthan policemen—Inspector Abdul Rahman and Sub Inspectors Shyam Singh and Himanshu Singh—also surrendered before a Ahmedabad court, taking the total number of arrested policemen in the fake encounter case to 11.

Parmar reached the police station around 11 am, accompanied by a sloganeering crowd, a motley group of women from his community and his family member. He was formally arrested at 12.15 pm. In a well orchestrated show before the media, Parmar absolved himself of any wrongdoing amid slogans of “M L Parmar tum aage bhado hum tumahre saath hain, and “M L Parmar Zindabad”.

Amid high drama, the suspect officer was seen hugging his inconsolable wife, and assuring supporters of justice, before he was led away in a procession.

When asked why he thought he was being arrested, Parmar said it was vendetta of the CID. “I have always been available to cooperate in the investigation. I have appeared before them many times and they never talked of arresting me. They never bothered to take my statements. It’s only now when my story did not match their fabrications that I have been maligned,” Parmar said.

As the then ATS Deputy SP, Parmar is accused of arranging the farm house where Shaikh and Bi were kept, and the vehicles in which they were transported to various locations. Parmar is also accused of being part of the team that killed, burnt and then disposed Bi’s remains.