Nearly five years after the Batla House encounter that left three dead, lone suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmad was today convicted for killing a decorated police officer and other charges by a Delhi court which held it was a genuine incident.
The court, however, raised questions over preparedness of the raiding police party which was not having bullet proof jackets or adequate number of weapons while trying to apprehend the suspected IM militants whose activities came to light for the first time in 2008. Was it "misadventure or lack of professionalism or scarcity of weapons?" it wondered.
Shahzad's sentencing will be on July 29 for offences that entails death penalty for murder of Inspector M C Sharma.
The judge preferred to leave aside the controversy raised from certain quarters about the alleged affiliation of Shahzad with banned militant outfit IM, which is accused of carrying out a number of terror strikes in the country since 2007.
It said, "There is no evidence on record to establish that fact... For the purpose of decision of this case it hardly matters as to whether accused was affiliated to Indian Mujahideen or not."
In a rejection of the view that it was a fake encounter engineered by the Delhi police, Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri held Shahzad guilty of shooting at the police party which tried to catch him in connection with the 2008 serial blasts in Delhi, saying instead of assisting the officers, he fired at them.
Sharma was awarded the gallantry award Ashok Chakra, posthumously for the September 19, 2008 encounter in which two alleged IM operatives were also killed, while two cops of Delhi Police Special Cell were also injured.
The court convicted Shahzad, who came to court dressed in checked shirt and blue jeans, for the offences of murder, attempt to murder, obstructing and assaulting public servants and grievously injuring police officers HC Balwant and HC Rajbir to deter them from performing their duty.
