Ishrat Jahan Encounter: Accused Retd SP Seeks Discharge

Retd SP NK Amin is a key accused in the case that killed 19-year-old Mumbai college girl Ishrat.

The spot of Ishrat Jahan encounter.

(Photo: PTI)

Retired Superintendent of Police, NK Amin has filed a discharge application in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. Amin is a key accused in the case that killed 19-year-old Mumbai college girl Ishrat, her friend Javed Sheikh and two Pakistani nationals.

The CBI asked for time to reply on Amin’s application. He told the Indian Express that the discharge had been filed on multiple grounds, refuting the charges that he was among the ones who took part in the shooting.

The past court orders would prove that I am not the one who fired upon Ishrat or anyone else. There is no forensic evidence to ascertain this allegation. The CBI never brought me to the scene of offence for the rehearsal (reconstruction of crime). There are court observations that would prove that I didn’t fire. My innocence is beyond doubt.

NK Amin, retired SP to the Indian Express

The CBI chargesheet that said that Amin had fired five rounds from his 9mm pistol was quoted by the Indian Express as saying:

After the arrival of all four detainees (Ishrat, Sheikh and two Pakistani nationals)… N K Amin, Tarun A Barot, J G Parmar, Mohanbhai Lalabhai Kalaswa, Anaju Jhiman Chaudhary opened fire on the detainees in the car and on the road divider from their official weapons, resulting into the death of all four detainees.

Amin says that more than 10 witnesses who have testified against him are “accused in the case”, as per the court’s past judgments. Their names were listed as accused in the FIR also. The CBI, however, has turned them into witnesses. Even the inquiry report filed by the Gujarat High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team also relied on these witnesses.

Amin argued that there was no difference in the roles of IB officers and Gujarat police officers, further saying that IB officers were involved in kidnapping the four people but they were never arrested, according to the Indian Express report.

The Indian Express also found out that the CBI had sought permission to prosecute the IB officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs but it was denied.

(With inputs from The Indian Express.)