Retired Gujarat cop to appear as witness, seeks security cover

The 68-year-old Ahmedabad resident retired from the Gujarat Police as a senior police inspector in 2007. The first investigating officer in the case had been since granted security cover due to the threat to his life. A month ago, however, the security cover was withdrawn by the Ahmedabad police.

Sources said that Solanki, in his application to the court, has claimed that he might be targeted and therefore asked for security before he appears as a witness. He has also given a statement in this regard to the Gujarat Crime Investigation Department (CID), which submitted a report in the court on Monday. The court has directed the CBI to file its reply on it.

After the alleged encounter of Sohrabuddin in 2005, his brother Rubabuddin had written to the Supreme Court seeking an inquiry into the death, stating that it was staged. Based on the petition, a preliminary inquiry was conducted by Solanki, after which the case was handed over to the CID crime.

According to statements, part of the CBI chargesheet, Solanki had sought to record the statement of Tulsiram Prajapati in 2006, as a witness to the Sohrabuddin encounter case. While he had sought permission from then IGP-CID Geeta Johri, he was directed not to proceed till further orders on the instructions of another senior officer.

Tulsiram was subsequently killed in an alleged staged encounter on December 28, 2006, before his statement could be recorded. Solanki had said in his statement that he was asked to change the case papers. Johri was named as an accused in the case on allegations of having pressurised Solanki to shield some other policemen. She was discharged from the case in 2015. Solanki is likely to appear before the court on Friday.