Javed Akhtar moves SC for probe into alleged fake encounter

New Delhi, May 29 (UNI) Eminent lyricist-poet Javed Akhtar today moved the Supreme Court, seeking a probe by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) into the killing of one Sameer Khan in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat police.

The petition, filed by Akhtar and and Shabnam Hashmi running an NGO "Anhad", alleged that the killing of Sameer by the Gujarat police in the alleged fake encounter on October one, 2002 by Crime Branch of Ahmedabad was nothing more than a ''cold blooded murder''.

The Gujarat police had claimed that Sameer Khan was a terrorist belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The PIL prayed that the the apex court direct the SIT to look into the case.

According to the petitioners, there had been an attempt at the highest level of the Gujarat government not only to cover up but even abet the cold-blooded murders which appeared to have been systematically used to glorify the Chief Minister of Gujarat and demonise Muslims as terrorists.

The petition also alleged that in all the encounters, there was a pattern of killing innocent people on the pretext of them being members of a dreaded terrorist group like the Jaish-e-Mohammad and conspiring to kill the Chief Minister of the state.

The Narendra Modi government in Gujarat has been facing lot of criticism for ''fake encounters'' of people including Sohrabuddin and his wife Kauser Bi.

Two petitions are already pending in the Supreme Court, seeking a CBI enquiry into the killing of the people in alleged fake encounters. In the Sohrabuddin case, the apex court has refused to order a CBI enquiry.

The petitioners have particularly blamed IG prisons Sabharmati jail Tirathraj and retired DSP of Gujarat police IK Yadav for the killing of Sameer Khan.

UNI