Vanzara claims Modi was secretly interrogated in Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case

In a sensational claim, D G Vanzara, a former IPS officer and an accused in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was secretly interrogated by the investigating officer.

In his discharge application filed in the special CBI court here, Vanzara said Modi, then the chief minister of Gujarat, was interrogated, but "such material was not placed on record of this case".

This proves that "the entire material on record of this case is nothing but a false story", he said.

"The fact also remains that the then chief minister and present Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also called by the investigating officer and interrogated. However, such material is not placed on record of this case," Vanzara said in his application.

Special CBI judge J K Pandya issued a notice to the CBI, seeking its response by March 28 to Vanzara's plea seeking discharge.

Vanzara also pleaded parity as a ground, since former in-charge DGP of Gujarat P P Pandey, a co-accused, was discharged by the same court three weeks ago.

Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old from Mumbra near Mumbai, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged staged encounter with police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. The Gujarat police had claimed the four had links with terrorist organisations, and wanted to kill Modi. But a special investigating team set up by the Gujarat High Court concluded that it was a fake encounter.