Ishrat Jahan case: Pranesh's father dies in hospital

Gopinath Pillai, the father of Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Sheikh who was shot dead in an alleged fake encounter in June 2004, died in hospital while undergoing treatment following a car accident, police said today.

Gopinathan Pillai (78) hailed from Charummoodu in Alappuzha district.

The car carrying Pillai, a heart patient, had met with the accident on April 11 in Alappuzha district when he was going to the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences at Kochi for a medical check-up.

Pillai, who was admitted to the Amrita hospital following the accident, died at 2.30 am today, police said.

His body was taken to his village for the last rites.

Javed Sheikh was among the four alleged terrorists shot dead on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.

The others gunned down were 19-year-old college girl Ishrat Jahan from Mumbra in Maharashtra, Zeeshan Johar and Amzad Rana.

The police termed them Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives allegedly on a mission to kill then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

According to police, Javed was driving the car that carried the alleged terrorists.