Ishrat Jahan: The inconvenient story no one wants to tell

[someone]

Clearly Congress(I) is doing all it can to tarnish Gujarat and pin down Narendra Modi before he becomes a national level challenge to Congress(I). By setting CBI on senior IB officers Congress(I) party is setting a very dangerous precedent. After the encounter death of Ishrat Jahan along with Pranesh Pillai and two Pakistani nationals, Ghazwa Times web site listed Ishrat Jahan as a martyr and LeT itself claimed her as an operative. If indeed Ishrat Jahan was an innocent college girl from Mumbai why was she travelling in Gujarat with a married man and two Pakistani nationals as she was obviously from a conservative Muslim family ? Late in the summer of 2004, the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s top operations commander Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi held the terrorist organisation’s first meeting with David Headley, the young Chicago drug dealer-turned-jihadist at the heart of the 26/11 project. Lakhvi told Headley he would be working with Muzammil Bhat, the full-bearded 6’4” giant in the room, who counted among the Lashkar’s most able operatives. Bhat’s achievements, Federal Bureau of Investigations interrogators recorded Headley as being told, included multiple strikes in Kashmir and recruiting a “female suicide bomber named Ishrat Jahaan [sic].” “Zaki,” Headley went on, “mentioned Muzammil’s plans to attack Akshardham temple, Somnath and Siddhi temples. These attacks were revenge for the 1988 attack on the mosque in Yuppe [sic, the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh].” Nine years since a hail of bullets ripped through Mumbra resident Ishrat Jahan Raza’s body, a Central Bureau of Investigations into her killing, along with three men, threatens to indict the highest leadership of India’s intelligence services for cold-blooded execution. Even as the CBI works towards finding out just how Ishrat died, there’s a growing mass of evidence that suggests the United Progressive Alliance government has been economical with the truth about her life and her death. Last year, the National Investigations Agency told Gujarat High Court judges Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari they had nothing but “hearsay” on Ishrat. Firstpost’s documentation on the FBI interrogation of Headley shows the union government knew otherwise—but remained silent. It isn’t the only thing it has chosen to be silent on. Early on the morning of 15 June 2004, Ishrat Jahan, Javed Sheikh, Zeeshan Johar and Amjad Ali Rana were shot dead on the road leading to the Kotarpur waterworks on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. KP Singh was at that time director of the Intelligence Bureau; Nehchal Sandhu, who is today deputy national security advisor, was then in charge of counter-terrorism operations; MK Narayanan, who is today West Bengal governor, was then advisor on internal security. And Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister, then as now. The first three, without doubt, would have known of the IB warning that went out to all states on 22 April 2004, warning of imminent attacks on top Hindu nationalist politicians, including LK Advani. Later, the IB’s Gujarat station would provide the Gujarat Police more detail, telling Ahmedabad’s police chief there were two Pakistani terrorists with Punjabi accents planning an attack, in coordination with a Pune resident. From accounts given to Firstpost by three separate intelligence sources, the IB’s operation had its genesis in February 2004, when the Jammu and Kashmir Police shot dead Poonch-based Lashkar operative Ehsan Illahi. Letters found on Illahi’s body led the police to an Ahmedabad-based lawyer. From there, the operation rolled on. There’s some reason to believe the Lashkar’s plot was penetrated. First Information Report 8 of 2004, filed by the Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch after the killing, records that the authorities knew of the imminent arrival of a blue Tata Indica carrying the victims, bearing the licence plate number MH02 JA4786—suggesting the Intelligence Bureau had an informant on the inside. “No one suggested that based on an intelligence input you should kill someone,” former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said in 2009. That’s true, but it neatly dodges the question of what the UPA did when four terrorists whom its intelligence services were following ended up dead. The CBI hasn’t sought any answers, so far, from any of the people who can answer that question. We know next to nothing, too, about what led Javed Sheikh to his death. Born Praneshkumar Pillai at Thamarakulam village in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, Sheikh met and fell in love with Sajida Sheikh in 1986. He converted to Islam in an (unsuccessful) effort to overcome her family’s resistance. In September 1995, though, the two married and moved to Mumbai’s Mumbra area. Then, they shifted to Pune after a business dispute turned violent. Sheikh’s life continued to be turbulent; the police filed four rioting cases against him in 1997 alone. In 2003, Sheikh left for Dubai, securing a job on a forged Indian Technical Institute certificate. He returned, according to Sajida Sheikh’s testimony, embittered by videotapes he had seen of the anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat. On 29 March 2004, Sheikh again flew to Oman, on passport E6624023, identifying him as Praneshkumar M. Gopinath Pillai—having obtained this in addition to a passport in his Muslim name. He flew back to Mumbai on 11 April carrying ₹ 2.5 lakh in cash, which he used to purchase the Indica he drove to his death. The government said, in a 2004 affidavit, that Sheikh “was in regular touch with Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives, particularly Muzammil Bhat.” Government sources say there is wiretap evidence to back this up, but the UPA hasn’t ever ordered it made public, and the CBI hasn’t sought it. Sheikh met Ishrat and her mother in Mumbra on 1 May 2004—where Sheikh said he needed a salesgirl for a new perfume store. There is no evidence that Sheikh ran a perfume business. On 30 May, he drove his wife and children to the family home in Alappuzha. From 6 June to 9 June, the family stayed at Sajida Sheikh’s family home in Ahmednagar. Then, Sajida Sheikh said, her husband called on the morning of 11 June to say he had to go to Mumbai on unexpected work. Two days later, when Sajida Sheikh called her husband, his cellphone was out of network reach. Hotel staff at the Tulsi Guest House in Bardoli, on National Highway 6 outside of Surat, say Sheikh and Ishrat checked in after 2 am on 12 June 2004. On 14 June, their car developed mechanical trouble. The staff at the Shakti Motor Garage outside Ahmedabad told the police that Sheikh paid Rs 1,025 for repairs. Earlier this month, additional solicitor-general Indira Jaisingh told the Supreme Court the CBI has evidence the group was kidnapped on the orders of former state intelligence chief PP Pandey at least a day before they were shot dead. Last month, the CBI interrogated former Gujarat Intelligence Bureau station chief Rajinder Kumar, now in charge of counter-intelligence operations. The organisation is reported to be seeking his arrest, saying he was responsible for having the alleged terrorists “detained illegally and brought to Gujarat.” It’s hard to see how his superiors wouldn’t have known—and why they aren’t being asked about it. Funnily, though, the five police officers alleged to have been actually present when Ishrat was allegedly kidnapped and killed—Girish Singhal, Tarun Barot, JG Parmar, Bharat Patel and Anaju Chaudhary—got bail after the CBI failed to file charges against them in the 90 days allowed by law. This presumably happened because the CBI doesn’t have enough evidence against them to sustain a prosecution—though it claims to have witnesses to the kidnapping and illegal detention. Nine years ago, no one knew for sure whether Ishrat was a terrorist or not, and whether she was killed in cold blood or a legitimate exchange of fire. It’s unclear why the CBI hasn’t spoken to large numbers of people who might have something to add to this story. From the testimony of Faizabad resident Muhammad Wasi, made before an Ahmedabad magistrate, there’s reason to believe Sheikh shopped for pistols and a sten gun in Uttar Pradesh sometime after February 2004. Wasi claims Sheikh was introduced to him by another Faizabad resident, Muhammad Mehrajuddin—whom the CBI hasn’t even sought to locate. The CBI hasn’t questioned Muhammad Abdul Razzak, an alleged jihadist held by the Delhi Police in 2005, who claimed to have told interrogators he sent Sheikh to a jihad training camp. Kashmir residents Majid Husain Qadri, Pervez Ahmad Khan Abdul Aziz Shah, alleged to have helped Amjad Ali Rana after he was shot trying to cross the Line of Control, have never once been questioned. Investigators say the three men had Johar treated in New Delhi, at the City Clinic in Paharganj. Siddharth Sahai, who performed surgery on Rana, identified him when the police showed him photographs. Then, there’s Headley’s testimony—totally ignored so far. For years now, we’ve got plenty of things that make headlines, but nothing resembling even part of the truth. In 2009, metropolitan magistrate KS Tamang indicted the police for faking the encounter, but in a report full of mind-boggling nonsense: “given the nature of women, none usually wears her college identity card during journey”; “when any lady travels from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, she invariably carries her purse and handkerchief in her hands.” It made multiple errors of appraisal, from misreading forensic evidence to presumptively declaring the suspects “innocents”. Gujarat’s High Court responded to petitions by the families of Ishrat and Sheikh by appointing a special investigation team. From the outset, there was contention with Karnail Singh and Mohan Jha, among allegations of bias. Notably, lead officer Satish Verma rejected the findings of forensic experts who concluded that the encounter didn’t appear faked at all. Verma himself faces allegations relating to alleged negligence in the landing of smuggled explosives and extrajudicial killings—and the targets of investigation claim, rightly or wrongly, that he harbours biases against them. Like all truths, the whole truth about Ishrat Jahan’s life and death likely won’t please anyone. It’s critical, though, to the credibility of India’s criminal justice system, and the future of our struggle against terrorism. Nothing anyone has done so far, though, suggests anyone really wants to tell the story—and nothing the CBI is doing gives reason to think that’s going to change. http://www.firstpost.com/politics/ishrat-jahan-the-inconvenient-story-no-one-wants-to-tell-867173.html

This case certainly has got to be over the limit. One thing to label a person but another thing to bring in CBI to challenge our own security, IB, police, justice. And this is just one single example of how Congress, false information & secularism go hand by hand. And the tapes leak is also interesting, NDTV, IBN who are known for paid news did not get them.

[FischerTal]

ridiculous how IB officers are hounded for doing their job.

[Lord]

tldr somebody give a short summary

[someone]

tldr somebody give a short summary

It's one big issue so it's not possible to give any short summary. And as an Indian, certainly would suggest you to read the whole deal. It deserves a great attention as the implications are huge. Although, I did highlight some important points I thought. Our very institutions, security, media bias, Congress and votes bank, CBI vs IB are involved well much in this case.

[Raghav_12]

I have been following this case for sometime. Initially I used to believe that this was a case of cold blooded murder which Gujrat police officer enacted to get into the good books of Narendra Modi. Considering the amount of lopsided leftist and anti-Modi literature in circulation it wasn't difficult to believe so. However, I still believe that encounter was fake but what I doubt now whether all victims of that encounter were really innocent citizens as claimed by CBI. Most damning evidence of victims being involved in terrorist activities is Headley's testimony where he named Ishrat Jahan as one operative of LeT. Headley had little incentive in naming Ishrat Jahan when he was deposing infront of US investigators. Without this Headley's testimony's I would have been onboard with CBI's story but when we have that testimony, how we can ignore that?

[Raghav_12]

It's one big issue so it's not possible to give any short summary. And as an Indian, certainly would suggest you to read the whole deal. It deserves a great attention as the implications are huge. Although, I did highlight some important points I thought. Our very institutions, security, media bias, Congress and votes bank, CBI vs IB are involved well much in this case.

I agree this is very important issue and should be sorted out with the level of stakes involved. If it was case of cold blooded murder by Police then everybody involved, even if it is DGP level officer, should be brought to justice and if CBI is doing this at behest of UPA goverment than nothing can be more shameful.

[beetle]

No sympathies for Ishrat Jahah......you keep company of terrorists,you move around with them...don't blame people for taking you for a terrorist too. No sympathy for the encounter specialists......you don't get to shoot people if they don't resist arrest or shoot back. You don't get to do that to anyone because we don't trust you with that power.

[saneindian]

IB has already leaked taped conversations between LET's Indian operatives who were killed with their Pak handlers. IB director has written to the CBI chief providing details of why the IB input was credible. In their eagerness to tame Modi, Congress may have gone a little too far by trying to target the IB. Expect some more dirt to be out in the open very soon.

[Raghav_12]

Exclusive: Narendra Modi and Advani were on Lashkar's hitlist before Ishrat Jahan encounter Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-lk-advani-were-on-lashkars-hitlist-before-isharat-jahan-encounter/1/280010.html Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani were among the leaders who were in the hitlist of the alleged terrorists killed in an encounter with Gujarat Police in Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. Headlines Today is in possession of the letter which was sent to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which mentions that LeT had instructed its cadres in India to monitor the movements of these leaders. The letter written on Feb 13, 2013 also says that the IB had prior inputs about the threat to the senior BJP leaders including L.K. Advani, Narendra Modi, Praveen Togadia and then Shiv Sena chief late Bal Thackeray. About two months before the Ishrat Jahan encounter on June 15, 2004, IB had alerted Gujarat and other States' Police chiefs about the presence of Lashkar terrorists planning to carry out attacks. IB's Gujarat chief Rajendra Kumar had personally met then Ahmedabad Police Commissioner K.R. Kaushik and had apprised about the inputs that two Lashkar terrorists, hailing from Pakistan's Punjab region were in Gujarat to carry out the attacks. Kumar has also told Kaushik that both the suspected terrorists were being helped by an Indian citizen in Pune. Notably, arrested terrorist David Headley has also revealed to the FBI that Ishrat Jahan was a suicide bomber of LeT. Leaders who were on the target: Bal Thackeray L.K. Advani Ashok Singhal Praveen Togadia Four of these leaders, except Narendra Modi were not in Gujarat when the conspiracy to target them was hatched so Modi was the prime target at the time. Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-lk-advani-were-on-lashkars-hitlist-before-isharat-jahan-encounter/1/280010.html

As I mentioned in earlier post, there are increasing doubts about Ishrat Jahan and other victims of "fake" encounter being as innocent as they were claimed to be by english media of the country and also purported by CBI's various actions.

[someone]

This story is imo, the biggest incident happening and it's only gonna get bigger. As everything, there is new information being leaked out and everyday we learn there was some of information hidden purposefully and falsified And the news media are acting our differently, some are showing it while some are ignoring it. There is certain issues in this field on how the paid news was done and thus need to be corrected.

[someone]

IB's first Muslim chief does what the Congress didn't want, counter the CBI on Ishrat Jahan case Political moves can often misfire if not taken after doing proper home work. IPS officer Asif Ibrahim was made the first ever Muslim director of the Central Intelligence Bureau by the Congress-led UPA Government last November ostensibly with an eye on Muslim vote in its race for minority votes with the likes of Mulayam Singh and his Samajwadi Party. It was supposed to be a message to the India's Muslim leaders who command their community votes: "Look, we have made a Muslim the first Central IB head, something which no Government of Independent India including those of Pandit Nehru and Mrs Gandhi had ever done". Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde even said so after Ibrahim's appointment. But this Muslim card has come back to haunt the Congress. Ibrahim has shown his true nationalist colours to the great discomfiture of the Congress, which wants to fix Narendra Modi in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case by hook or crook, by opposing the CBI's attempts to rope in a (CIB) officer Rajendra Kumar, who had given the Ishrat Jahan tip off to Gujarat police in 2004. Vehemently opposing the CBI move to chargesheet Kumar Ibrahim has communicated to the office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde that CIB has enough evidence to prove that Jahan was a part of a Lashkar-e-Toiba ISI module out to kill Narendra Modi and LK Advani and that even David Coleman Headley, an accused in the Mumbai bomb blast case, had pointed this out to the FBI in US during his interrogation. More, Ibrahim has pointed out that the arrest of Rajendra Kumar could have very serious consequences for the set-up of the nation's premier intelligence gathering agency and as a result the country's national security as it could deter dynamic CIB officers from genuine intelligence gathering in the fear that they could be hauled up in future. Reportedly Ibrahim had a running fight on the issue with his counter part in the CBI, Salim Ali, who is said to be of the view that Kumar can be chargesheeted. Says security and political analyst Vidyut Thakar, who is an authority on Pakistan-related national security issues: "Ibrahim has acted like his great namesake in history, Ibrahim Khan Gardi, who commanded the artillery of the Marathas in the 1761 Third Battle of Panipat against Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Abdali. The invader promised him mountains of gold for leaving the Marathas and joining his Muslim flag. But Gardi refused to prove untrue to his salt and fought with great bravery in that battle. Ultimately, he was captured and killed with horrid cruelty by Abdali. Asif Ibrahim's move will go a long way in removing the stereo-typing of Muslims in this country as ones who always side with the cause of their brethren even at the cost of national security ". Ibrahim has always had a good record of service and his role in counter-insurgency intelligence gathering has been outstanding. During his younger days, he was a great favourite of late Madhavrao Scindia having been his principal secretary when Scindia was the Railway Minister in the last 1980s. Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/asif-ibrahim-ib-chief-political-move-haunt-congress-ishrat-jahan-encounter/1/280045.html

[Crookbond]

IBNLiveRealtime: Ishrat case: HC flays Gujarat govt for obstructing CBI probe

[someone]

CBI removes IPS officer from Ishrat Jahan probe NEW DELHI: Amid growing concern in the Intelligence Bureau and home ministry over the direction of CBI investigation in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case involving IB special director Rajinder Kumar, the CBI on Thursday removed IPS Satish Verma from its probe team. Verma was a nominee of Ishrat Jahan's mother in the SIT, formed by Gujarat high court to probe the alleged fake encounter. Verma was later made part of the CBI team which was entrusted with the case by HC after SIT submitted its report. The development comes amid indications from IB that Satish Verma had been overzealous in the investigation of the case and overtly focused on the role of IB special director in the staged encounter. CBI's removal of Verma from the probe team comes as a surprise since Verma had been given two extensions to his tenure, his last ending on Friday, on CBI's demand. Significantly, after a high level meeting in the home ministry on Thursday, the CBI has also decided to "re-evaluate its evidence in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case". The meeting was reportedly attended by CBI Director Ranjit Sinha, IB chief Asif Ibrahim, former CBI Director A P Singh, union home secretary RK Singh. The SIT to probe Ishrat Jahan's encounter was setup by Gujarat HC after it heard two PILs, one by father of alleged LeT militant Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh Pillay and another by Jahan's mother Shamima Kauser, questioning the veracity of the encounter. The court allowed three appointments in the SIT — one by the centre (Karnail Singh), one by state government (Mohan Jha) and one by Jahan's mother (Satish Verma). After Karnail Singh's scheduled transfer to Mizoram, the SIT was headed by R R Verma. It was R R Verma who submitted a report in the high court saying that "the encounter was fake". Based on SIT's report, HC ordered registration of an FIR against officers involved and transferred the case to CBI. In an interesting development, the court told the CBI that it could engage the services of Satish Verma if it so wanted. Since then, Satish Verma has been assisting CBI in its probe in the alleged fake encounter. Agency officials have claimed earlier that they have enough evidence against Rajinder Singh, summoned as accused in the case. AP Singh, sources say, was called for the meeting on Thursday to review the evidence collected by agency during his tenure in the case. Rajinder Kumar was called for formal questioning by CBI on Friday but now he will come on Tuesday, said officials. IB has been expressing its concern for past few days for making Kumar accused in the case. The sources said while the IB Director Asif Ibrahim pressed for the need to maintain confidentiality in the ongoing probe, CBI Director Ranjit Sinha assured that the same would be done. Kumar was posted in State Intelligence Bureau in 2004 and his role had come under the scanner of the agency for the alleged fake input. They said his statement would be crucial in finalising the charge sheet in the Ishrat Jahan case as he was alleged to have played a crucial role in generating an intelligence input about purported LeT plan of LeT to eliminate Modi. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/CBI-removes-IPS-officer-from-Ishrat-Jahan-probe/articleshow/20581847.cms

[Sachin=GOD]

CNN-IBN News ‏@ibnlive RT @IBNLiveRealtime IB Spl Director Rajinder Kumar involved in Ishrat case: Sources

[Sachin=GOD]

CNN-IBN News ‏@ibnlive RT @IBNLiveRealtime Rajinder discussed strategy with Gujarat police officers: Sources CNN-IBN News ‏@ibnlive RT @IBNLiveRealtime AK-47 recovered from Ishrat provided by Rajinder: CBI sources CNN-IBN News ‏@ibnlive RT @IBNLiveRealtime IB kept Ishrat, others in confinement for 3 days: CBI sources CNN-IBN News ‏@ibnlive RT @IBNLiveRealtime Clear nexus between Rajinder and top state policemen: Sources IBNLive Realtime ‏@IBNLiveRealtime 'Rajinder called Gujarat CM's office 37 times on encounter day'

[1983-2011]

Looks like someones going to get fu3!/ed

[FischerTal]

Congress still trying to get to Namo after all these years. Sad and hilarious at the same time

[Sachin=GOD]

Congress still trying to get to Namo after all these years. Sad and hilarious at the same time

yeah, its all a big kaaanspiracy to victimize poor little innocent Modi

[FischerTal]

yeah' date=' its all a big kaaanspiracy to victimize poor little innocent Modi [/quote'] look at the track record and you'll come to the same conclusion. :good:

[Crookbond]

CNN-IBN News ‏@ibnlive RT @IBNLiveRealtime Rajinder discussed strategy with Gujarat police officers: Sources CNN-IBN News ‏@ibnlive RT @IBNLiveRealtime AK-47 recovered from Ishrat provided by Rajinder: CBI sources CNN-IBN News ‏@ibnlive RT @IBNLiveRealtime IB kept Ishrat, others in confinement for 3 days: CBI sources CNN-IBN News ‏@ibnlive RT @IBNLiveRealtime Clear nexus between Rajinder and top state policemen: Sources IBNLive Realtime ‏@IBNLiveRealtime 'Rajinder called Gujarat CM's office 37 times on encounter day'

I had posted an article on Ishrat in the Politics forum and someone replied "What is got to do with Modi".