Top cop accused in Ishrat fake encounter case is Gujarat DGP

P P Pandey, the man out on bail in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, on Saturday assumed the role of Director General of Police in Gujarat.

Pandey, the director of Anti-Corruption Bureau in Gujarat took over the additional responsibility of being Gujarat’s top cop following the sudden transfer of DGP P C Thakur to Delhi. Pandey, a 1980 batch IPS officer, was also in jail for his reported involvement in the fake encounter killing of teenaged girl Ishrat Jahan and three others whom the state police claims to be Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives who had come to Gujarat to assassinate the then chief minister Narendra Modi.

After his release from jail on bail, the state government revoked his suspension and promoted him to the rank of additional DGP. He had recently taken over as the director of ACB.

“Maintaining safety and security in the state is my responsibility and I shall perform this duty to the best of my ability,” Pandey told mediapersons soon after assuming charge.