Congress, BJP lock horns over Ishrat Jahan affidavits

NEW DELHI: The government may soon order a probe into the two different affidavits filed by then UPA government in the 2004 Ishrat jahan encounter case as former bureaucrats and retired intelligence bureau officials alleged that there were “political interventions” at the highest level to frame then BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

A senior home ministry official said, “So many officers are alleging that they were coerced and the affidavits were changed without their knowledge. An inquiry needs to be conducted to find out why they changed the stand of the government.”

The latest allegations against the UPA government and former home minister P Chidambaram was made by former under-secretary RVS Mani, who signed the second affidavit in 2009 that was filed before the court removing the contents that said Ishrat and other were LeT militants.

North Block has already dug out the files relating to the case after former Home Secretary GK Pillai said ex-Home Minister P Chidambaram had changed the affidavit.

Then UPA government had submitted two affidavits — one that the four, who were killed in an alleged fake encounter, were terrorists and the second saying there was no conclusive evidence — within two months in 2009.

Chidambaram on Sunday said the second affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case was “absolutely correct” and as minister then “I accept the responsibility”.

Chidambaram also expressed disappointment over Pillai distancing himself from the affidavit issue despite being “equally responsible”.