Batla House encounter: Accused seeks to inspect site of crime

Delhi Police today concluded final arguments in the 2008 Batla House encounter case while the lone suspected Indian Mujahideen operative facing trial moved a plea to visit the flat from whose balcony the cops claimed he had escaped after the gunbattle.
In its final arguments before Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri, the prosecution said it has sufficient circumstantial evidence and phone records to prove that accused Shahzad was present in the Jamia Nagar flat in Batla House and was among those who fired at the police party leading to the death of inspector M C Sharma.
The prosecution said Shahzad, along with another accused Junaid, had jumped off the balcony and fled after firing at the police party during the September 19 Batla House encounter.

At this, Shahzad's counsel moved an application seeking permission to visit the spot in Jamia Nagar to see if it was possible for anyone to jump off the balcony. He also claimed that Shahzad was not at the flat and has been implicated in the case.
The prosecution, in its final argument, rebutted Shahzad's claim that neither was he present in the flat with other associates nor had he fired at the raiding party and also that he was kidnapped from his village Khalispur in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
Prosecution said the police personnel who were members of the raiding party have identified Shahzad as one of the occupants of the flat who fired at the raiding team and then escaped with another associate.

Police also said the call detail records show that Shazad was in regular conversation with one of the occupants of the flat, an alleged IM terrorist named Atif who was killed in the encounter.