Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case: PP Pandey may be declared absconder soon

NEW DELHI: The CBI has summoned a former police commissioner of Ahmedabad, stepping up the pace of its probe into the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case, an investigation that BJP says is intended to eventually embroil Gujarat CM Narendra Modi.

The summons to KR Kaushik, who may face charges, is in connection with an intelligence input to the Gujarat administration that a module of the Lashkar-e -Toiba, of which Ishrat Jehan was a part, was in the state in order to assassinate CM Modi. The CBI probe, ordered by the SC, is being closely watched in political circles with Modi alleging at the recent CMs’ Conference that the Centre was using CBI to target him. Notwithstanding Modi’s claim, the CBI probe appears to have gathered steam with the agency on Wednesday summoning retired 1972-batch IPS officer Kaushik.

This follows summons on Tuesday to Intelligence Bureau (IB) Special Director and 1979-batch IPS officer, Rajendra Kumar, to appear before CBI as an accused on Friday – a move which has caused immense resentment in the IB and has led to speculation that Kumar may go public with his defence. The CBI also moved court on Wednesday to declare Gujarat’s Additional Director General of Police (CID-Crime) PP Pandey as an absconder.

The agency could ask for attachment of his assets as there has been no trace of the 1980-batch IPS officer for over a month since a court issued non-bailable warrants against him in May.