Sohrabuddin killed with dual motive of monetary and political gains: Chief Investigating Officer
Mumbai, Nov 19: Sohrabuddin Sheikh was killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2005 with the "dual motive of political and monetary gains", the chief investigating officer (CIO) in the case told a special court here Monday.
CIO Amitabh Thakur also told the court that he had not found any material evidence to show who the political beneficiaries were.
Sheikh, a suspected gangster with terror links, was shot dead on November 26, 2005 while he was in custody of the Gujarat Police in an alleged fake encounter. His wife Kausar Bi was also allegedly killed in a similar manner within a few days.
Sheikh's aide Tulsi Prajapati was allegedly killed in a staged encounter by the Gujarat and the Rajasthan Police in December 2006.
"It is correct to say that as per the charge sheet filed in the case, there was a dual motive in the alleged encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh. One was political and another was monetary," CIO Thakur told special court judge S J Sharma.
"I have not found any material evidence to show the persons who were political beneficiaries," he added.
Thakur further said there was no material showing if any of the accused facing the trial in the case got benefited "politically or monetarily" from the alleged killing.
Of the 38 people charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), 15 people, including senior IPS officers D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian and Dinesh MN, and then minister of state for home in Gujarat Amit Shah were discharged by the court.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
