The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) interrogated Amit Shah in Sabarmati jail, Ahmedabad today after abiding by the court’s order. Amit Shah is a former Gujarat minister, associated with the BJP. He is the prime suspect for kidnapping and killing of Shohrabuddin Sheikh in a staged encounter.
Shohrabuddin Sheikh was an extortionist; his operations were active in Udaipur, Ujjain and Ahmedabad. He was from Jharnia village in Madhya Pradesh. On 23rd November, 2005 when he was traveling from Hyderabad to Sangli in Maharashtra, with his wife Kauser Bi, on the way the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), Gujarat police stopped the bus and took them to a farmhouse, there they were kept locked in for three days.
After that he was killed in a staged encounter by a police team which was led by the ATS Chief DG Vanzara. Police claimed that he was planning to attack Narendra Modi, Gujarat Chief Minister. Shohrabuddin’s wife Kauser was killed on November 29th.
An official said “The CBI has begun questioning Amit Shah.” The interrogation was done at the Sabarmati Jail, Ahmedabad. The questioning will continue till July 30th. The court has ordered proper video-recording of the interrogation.
Shah resigned from the Modi Government on Saturday.
CBI has filed a charge-sheet in the court. Shah is accused of extortion, kidnapping, murder; other charges include criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. According to the charge-sheet “Elimination of Sohrabuddin was being used for extortion by the accused persons to establish an element of fear in the minds of the businessmen and others.”
Shah left the job of getting rid of Shohrabuddin in the hands of three senior IPS officers, including ATS Chief DG Vanzara along with Rajkumar Pandiyan and Abhay Chudasama (Former DCP, Ahmedabad Crime Branch).
CBI has claimed that Shah and Vanzara were constantly communicating on phone when Shohrabuddin and his wife were in the custody of police. Former Gujarat police officer N K Amin, an accused in the case, now turned approver, said he was in constant touch with Shah during the conspiracy.
CBI says “He (Amin) made/received as many as 25 calls from/to Shah between November 21, 2005 and November 30, 2005.”
CBI alleged that in early Nov. 2005, Abhay Chudasama called Tulsiram Prajapati, a friend of Shohrabuddin and produced him before DG Vanzara. Vanzara told Prajapati to tell where Shohrabuddin was, due to “increasing political pressure”.
Later in December 2006, Prajapati was killed in a police encounter. It said “Having got the assurance from Vanzara, Prajapati helped Chudasama in tracking Sohrabuddin.”
Shah is Narender Modi’s close aid. He was arrested on Tuesday after he came out at a press conference fixed up by the BJP in Gandhinagar.
He was absconding after he was asked to produce himself before the CBI Court on Thursday and Friday.