While the ATS claimed that Sohrabuddin Sheikh, a suspected LeT operative, had entered Gujarat with an intention to kill Chief Minister Narendra Modi and was killed in an encounter, a number of developments suggest the encounter case was taken very lightly by the state government. Even investigations by the CID, following the Supreme Court order, were delayed following transfer of key investigating officers at a time when vital proof against the ATS officials had started emerging. From registration of FIRs till arrest of the top officials, the way the case was handled indicates that actions taken had only slowed the pace of investigation.

The alleged encounter case of Sohrabuddin Sheikh was lodged by Abdul Rehman, PI, Udaipur at ATS police station under various sections of the IPC. The ATS is not a regular police station, but has been declared so for crime against the state, NDPS and arms act cases. Besides, the investigation of the same case was also taken up by the ATS.

Though CID(crime) IG Geetha Johri had raised this point in her report submitted on December 7, 2006, a new case at the police station concerned was never registered. After the interim investigation report by the CID, submitted in December 2006, suggesting discrepancy in the ATS encounter theory, D G Vanzara was allowed to go on a month-long leave from January 25, 2007.

In the second week of February—by when two interim reports had been submitted, one reportedly even with recommendations filing a case against Vanzara and his team—the Government relieved CID (Crime) ADGP G C Raiger, under whose direct supervision Johri had been conducting the probe, from the charge and handed it over to O P Mathur.

... contd.