Luricist Javed Akhtar, along with social activist Shabnam Hashmi, today filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the Gujarat fake encounters. Raising doubts about the impartiality of the state police, the petitioners said in the present circumstances an independent investigation was not possible into the killings by any agency under the control of the Gujarat Government.

The petition, citing a recent sting operation by a news magazine into the killing of Sameer Khan in October 2002, alleged that it was a fake encounter and every effort was made by the Gujarat Government to hush up the matter. It was alleged that Sameer Khan was killed by the same team of police officers who killed Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauser Bi.

The petition said in almost all the incidents the same group of police officials have been found to be involved and attempts were made to cover up all the cases by top officials.

Referring to a number of encounter killings of people branded as terrorists, the petition said it had become a trend in Gujarat to demonise Muslims as dreaded terrorists and thereafter killing them in fake encounters.