Cop probing Sohrabuddin encounter case shifted

Kandaswamy was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CBI investigating the Sohrabuddin-Tulsiram encounter case and was also the Joint Director of CBI Mumbai (Zone II). Gujarat cadre IPS officer Keshav Kumar is now heading the post that also includes the Special Crime Branch (SCB),according to sources at the CBI.The SCB is currently probing the Sohrabuddin,Tulsiram,Ishrat Jahan and Sadiq Jamal encounter cases. However since Keshav Kumar belonged to the Gujarat cadre he was not allowed to supervise the case investigations.

Kandaswamy who had fallen seriously ill in New Delhi in December last year was recommended immediate rest.The CBI officials in January last year appointed V V Laxminarayan,Joint Director (Hyderabad Zone) as the overall supervising authority for the four encounter cases. Laxminarayan would continue to supervise the four encounter cases that he has been involved with for the last six months.

The CBI had claimed that Kandaswamy would return to the investigation after his recovery. However when asked about the change in Kandaswamy position the CBI said that “there were orders that he should be returned back to his cadre.”

Kandaswamy’s move has resulted in a major re-shuffle within the investigating team probing the Sohrabuddin and Tulsiram encounter cases.The investigations in the Sohrabuddin and Tulsiram cases began in 2010 and 2011 respectively under Kandaswamy who headed the SIT which was led by Mumbai SP Amitabh Thakur.

Kandaswamy and Thakur had arrested former Home Minister of State Amit Shah and IPS officer Abhay Chudasama last year.Shah was charged with murder,extortion,kidnapping and five other crimes under the IPC in connection with the murder of Sohrabuddin and his wife Kausar Bi in 2005.

The CBI’s charge sheet had named Shah as a key accused along with IPS officers D G Vanzara,Rajkumar Pandian,M N Dinesh and Abhay Chudasama. However when the CBI was about to begin the Tulsiram encounter case,SP Thakur was transferred out of the SCB Mumbai.

Later Kandaswamy had roped in Delhi officer Vinay Kumar to form a new team to probe the Tulsiram encounter case after Thakur’s transfer. However Vinay Kumar was shifted from the investigation last month as well.