CBI should probe phone call records of Modi's office: Sohrabuddin's brother

Rubabuddin Shaikh, brother of alleged slain gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, has demanded that CBI should investigate phone call records of the office of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and senior IPS officers in connection with the Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case.

Rubabuddin Shaikh, brother of alleged slain gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, has demanded that CBI should investigate phone call records of the office of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and senior IPS officers in connection with the Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case.

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"Rubabuddin Shaikh has sought probe of telephone calls between the office of Chief Minister and senior IPS officers under Sec 173 (8) of the CrPC," his lawyer Mukul Sinha said. The section allows further investigation after charge sheet is filed.

Sohrabuddin was killed in an alleged fake encounter by Gujarat police in November 2005.

"The telephone records produced by CID (Gujarat) in the case of Tulsiram Prajapati along with the charge sheet reveals that at least two accused, namely Amit Shah (then Minister of State for Home) and IPS officer Rajkumar Pandian, were in constant touch with the office of Chief Minister of Gujarat throughout December 2006," Rubabuddin's application to the CBI director states.

"Frequency of their contacts markedly increased on and after December 12, 2006," it adds.

Shah, the key accused in Soharabuddin case, also figures as kingpin of the conspiracy in the case related to subsequent fake encounter of Sohrabuddin's aide Prajapati.

Shaikh was killed on November 26, 2005 in Ahmedabad. Prajapati was the sole witness to his kidnapping and killing, according to CBI. Prajapati was killed in another encounter on December 28, 2006.

"CBI has not investigated the details of phone call records of the office of the Chief Minister and senior IPS officers," Sinha said.

"It should also collect telephone records of all the Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) in the office of the Chief Minister apart from gathering call records of Shah, both mobile and landline (residence and office)," Rubabuddin's application says.

Rubabuddin has also asked the central probe agency to investigate the manner in which Sohrabuddin's wife Kausar Bi was killed. "The persons who are connected with the case in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are yet to be questioned," it states.

The decision to transfer IPS officer D G Vanzara from Anti-Terrorism Squad to Bhuj as Border Range DIG must also be probed, Rubabuddin has prayed in his application.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had said that murders of Prajapati and Sohrabuddin were part of the same conspiracy and there should be a single trial.