Vanzara letter: NGO demands Modi's arrest, Prez rule in Guj

Vanzara's resignation letter has indicted Modi over encounter cases in Gujarat

In the wake of IPS officer D G Vanzara's explosive letter indicting Chief Minister Narendra Modi over encounter cases, a Gujarat-based NGO today demanded his arrest and imposition of President's rule in the state.

"Vanzara, in his resignation letter, has confessed he was the executioner of the larger conspiracy hatched at the highest level of the Gujarat government. It is time Modi and other Ministers involved in it are arrested and President's rule imposed in the state," Jan Sangharsh Manch Convener Amrish Patel said at a press conference here.

The NGO is run by advocate Mukul Sinha, who is representing Gopinath Pillai, father of Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, who along with three others, including Ishrat Jahan, was killed in a "fake" encounter in 2004.

"Looking at the confessions made by Vanzara, Chief Minister should immediately resign and dissolve the present Assembly. Or else it would be the Constitutional duty of the President to dismiss this Government under Article 356."

In his 10-page resignation letter, Vanzara, lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail in connection with a string of alleged fake encounter cases, said the accused officers and men "simply implemented the conscious policy" of the state government. Vanzara accused the state government, particularly former Minister of State for Home Amit Shah of betraying him and 32 other officers, in jail in encounter killing cases.

He said he used to adore Modi like God, who could not rise to the occasion under the "evil" influence of Shah, a co-accused in Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounter cases.

Criticising the IPS officer, Patel said, "He (Vanzara) has not expressed any remorse whatsoever for the killing of innocent people...It's not a change of heart on part of D G Vanzara and he deserves no sympathy."

"CBI, which is probing four encounter cases, has also failed to investigate the aspect of larger conspiracy behind all the encounters.

"We, on behalf of our clients, will submit Vanzara's letter to CBI and demand an investigation of Modi, Amit Shah and other Ministers who were involved in the conspiracy," Patel said.

JSM plans to submit a memorandum to Governor Kamla Beniwal demanding Central rule in the state and also plans to move Gujarat High Court in this regard, he added.