Ishrat case: Intelligence not enough proof for killing people, says PC

WASHINGTON: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday attacked the BJP government in Gujarat on the affidavit in the controversial Ishrat

Jahan encounter case, saying Central intelligence inputs cannot be used as conclusive proof for killing people.

"If a state government acts as though intelligence inputs are evidence or conclusive proof, I am sorry for that state government... Certainly no one suggested that based on an intelligence input you should kill someone," he told a press conference here joining issues with the Gujarat government over the central government affidavit in the state High Court relating to the encounter killing of Ishrat and three of her companions in June 2004.

"I think too much is being attributed to that affidavit if it is meant to defend the government of Gujarat against the excesses that may have been committed by its police. I am sorry for the government of Gujarat and the manner in which it runs its police administration," he said.

"What did the affidavit say?," he asked and added: "To the best of my knowledge the affidavit says that intelligence inputs were shared with the Gujarat government."

On Monday, a report of the investigation conducted by magistrate S P Tamang said Ishrat and three others were gunned down in fake encounter by police officers for selfish motives.

However, Gujarat government rejected the report saying the Union Government's affidavit clearly stated that Ishrat and the other three were LeT operatives and were planning terror strikes in Gujarat.

That affidavit must be read in the context, Chidambaram said when asked about the controversy on the affidavit filed by the Center in the Gujarat High Court in the Ishrat Jahan and the other three encounter case.

"You cannot read into it what it does not say. I think it is self-evident that intelligence inputs are not evidence, much less conclusive proof. They are just inputs. They are shared with governments on a regular basis. That is not evidence. That is not conclusive proof," he argued.

The four persons, claimed to have been killed by the police in an encounter on the outskirts of the city on June 15, 2004 were Ishrat, Javed Ghulam Sheikh alias Pranesh Kumar Pillai, Amjad Ali alias Rajkumar Akbar Ali Rana and Jisan Johar Abdul Gani. Gujarat Police had also claimed that the four persons were on a mission to kill Chief Minister Narendra Modi.