Gandhinagar, April 29 (IANS) Two police officers who were summoned by the Gujarat High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team to appear before it for questioning in the Ishrat Jahan staged shootout case failed to turn up Friday.
The duo, Indian Police Service (IPS) officer G.L. Singhal and Deputy Superintendent of Police Tarun Barot summoned on Thursday did not come, a source in the SIT said.
The SIT had asked them to appear for questioning in connection with their involvement in the alleged staged shootout of Ishrat Jahan and three others, who were allegedly killed on June 15, 2004, by Crime Branch officers.
However, both the officers communicated to the officials of SIT that they were unable to come. SIT sources said they didn’t come before the probe team as they were on leave.
Singhal, Barot and 12 other police personnel have filed a petition before the high court objecting to the investigation being conducted by SIT member Satish Verma. The policemen apprehended that they would be victimized.
Singhal, who was SP of Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), has been transferred as DCP to Vadodara while Tarun Barot, head of the Special Operation Group (SOG) of crime branch, has been shifted to Mehsana.
However, both have not joined their new offices and are on leave. Singhal and Barot have been questioned twice earlier and the latest summons by SIT raised speculation of their arrest in the Ishrat Jahan staged shootout case.
