Ahmedabad, Jul 13: Amjad Ali Rana, a native of Sargoda in Pakistan who along with Ishrat Jahan and two others was killed in a “fake” encounter here in 2004, had stated during his interrogation that he was in the city not to assassinate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi but to carry out attack in public places, a police officer told CBI.
“Motive of Amjad Ali Rana was not to assassinate the Chief Minister, but to attack some public place in city where a large number of people will gather (like Rath Yatra),” Bharat Patel, Police Inspector, told CBI in his testimony which is a part of the chargesheet in the encounter case.
“In the last week of April 2004, (IPS officer, now suspended) G L Singhal had told me to keep watch at Ahmedabad Railway station as some LeT member was coming... Inspectors Tarun Barot and R I Patel were also there.”
“I and Singhal had noticed the suspect (Rana) leaving the railway station on a two-wheeler along with Ashad (Singhal's source). Ashad was introduced to (senior IB officer) Rajinder Kumar by (IPS officer) D G Vanzara,” the statement reads.
“Ashad and another source, Ovaish, were taken over by Kumar and both played roles given by the IB in the operation that finally culminated in this case of police encounter,” Patel said, adding that Ashad and Ovaish were taken away and kept under complete control of Intelligence Bureau somewhere.
