Ahmedabad, Sep 21: The CBI is learnt to have got some fresh clues to the sensational killing of former Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya after the agency's officials on Friday questioned deputy inspector general D G Vanzara, who is in judicial custody in connection with a string of fake encounters.
During his interrogation by a CBI team, led by DIG Sandeep Tamagde, Vanzara hinted at a political conspiracy behind Pandya's killing, sources said. Vanzara reportedly spoke about the role of Sohrabuddin in Pandya's murder here in March 2003, sources said.
However, it is doubtful if the CBI would reopen the case, investigated by it earlier. All the accused in the Pandya case were acquitted by the Gujarat high court. The CBI has challenged the acquittal in the Supreme Court. Pandya's family had all along claimed a "political conspiracy" behind his killing.
Vanzara's revelations came during his four-hour interrogation in Sabarmati jail on his recent explosive resignation letter from the IPS in which he had squarely blamed another former home minister, Amit Shah, for a series of fake encounters. Vanzara had also obliquely accused Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi of dumping him and other officials who have been accused of fake encounters.
Sources said while Vanzara has been named as accused in the encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, Kauserbi, Tulsiram Prajapati and Ishrat Jahan, there are chances that he may turn approver or prime witness in the Sadiq Jamal encounter case.
Vanzara was brought here on remand in June in connection with the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. He was lodged in Taljola jail in Mumbai after Sohrabuddin and Tulsiram Prajapati encounter cases were transferred out of Gujarat.
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