SC notice to Modi in fake encounter case

On June 15, 2004, a police team had gunned down Shaikh and three others, including a woman, in what was termed an encounter death. The encounter was among those supervised by suspended DIG D G Vanzara. The cops had claimed that the four, who were members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, had entered Gujarat to kill Narendra Modi.

On Wednesday, a Bench comprising Justice Tarun Chatterjee and Justice Aftab Alam also issued notice to the state Government on another petition filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar, seeking a probe by a special investigation team into the alleged fake encounters in Gujarat.

In his petition, Akhtar has claimed that innocent people, particularly from Muslim community, were being targeted as terrorists and killed.

Citing new report, the petition said the killing of one Sameer Khan in October 2002 was a fake encounter and there was an attempt by the Gujarat Government to hush up the incident.

Khan, who was in police custody, was killed on the intervening night of October 21-22, 2002 when he allegedly snatched the revolver of a policeman who had accompanied him with a team to a spot where he had murdered a constable.

Khan was also said to be part of a conspiracy to assassinate Modi and other leaders.