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No conclusive evidence that Ishrat was a terrorist: P Chidambaram

Last Updated 31 May 2016, 12:45 IST

Facing BJP fire over his alleged role in drafting a second affidavit in Ishrat Jahan encounter killing case, former Home Minister P Chidambaram today asserted there was nothing morally, politically or ethically wrong in that affidavit which said there was no conclusive evidence to prove she was a terrorist.

Chidambaram also recalled that the affidavit was filed after Ahmedabad Metropolitan Judge S P Tamang's report, which in September 2009, declared the encounter fake.

Later probes, first by SIT and then by CBI, had also said that the deceased had been in the custody of the police and that weapons recovered from them were planted by the policemen.

"The version says it is fake encounter. The persons, who were killed, were in custody for more than two or three days. They were killed at midnight. They were killed while they were sitting in the car. 2.06 lakh were planted on their bodies. All this is finding of a judge in the Maharashtra judiciary.

"The further affidavit has only five or six paragraphs. It does not withdraw the first affidavit. In paragraph two, it says why a further affidavit is being filed and in para 5 it says that the government of India shares intelligence inputs regularly with states. Accordingly, we share intelligence inputs.

"I wish to clarify that the intelligence inputs are only intelligence inputs and not conclusive evidence and you cannot come to any conclusion on the basis of intelligence inputs. It must be investigated and prosecuted in a court of law," Chidambaram told reporters here.

The former Home Minister's remarks came amid speculation that the one-member inquiry panel set up by the Union Home Ministry, probing the missing files related to the case of alleged fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan, could submit its report soon.

"It is incomprehensible why some files are missing," the former Home Minister said replying to questions.

The panel headed by B K Prasad, a Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer, was constituted on March 14 this year to inquire into the circumstances in which the crucial files related to the case of Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004, went missing.

Replying to questions, Chidambaram today said,"tell me which part of that affidavit is wrong legally, morally or politically, which sentence or word in the further affidavit was wrong legally, politically and ethically.

"And please remember the further affidavit was vetted by the Attorney General of India."

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(Published 31 May 2016, 12:45 IST)

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