Reacting to news reports that the home ministry was considering revising its affidavit on the Ishrat Jehan encounter case, the BJP on Wednesday termed it as part of the Centre’s “appeasement” politics.
Gujarat police had gunned down Ishrat Jehan and three others in June 2004 on the
ground that they were Lashkar-e-Tayyeba militants. Last month, a judicial inquiry found that it was a fake encounter.
The Gujarat government cited the home ministry’s August 6, 2009 affidavit, which admits that there were intelligence inputs that said Ishrat and others were indeed suspected terrorists.
News reports suggest that the home ministry may be willing to change this position through a fresh affidavit.
How will state governments take action on intelligence inputs regarding potential terror threats if the Centre keeps going back on its own stand, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.