Gandhinagar

The state home department today issued a chargesheet against Satish Verma, the Gujarat cadre IPS officer who is facing probe for his involvement in some enounter cases, for remaining absent from duty when he was principal of Police Training College in Junagadh.

A senior home department official confirmed the development.

Verma, a 1986 batch officer, was transferred to Junagadh in April 2012. However, he remained absent for a significant period. Later, he applied for central deputation.

On the order of the High Court, he was deputed to the CBI to assist it, as a local officer, in the Ishrat Jahan case.

The chargesheet comes a day after Sharma was superseded by the Gujarat government as all his batchmates were promoted to the rank of additional director general from inspector general of police.

In August 2014, the appointments committee of NDA cabinet at the Centre approved his application for central deputation and appointed him as chief vigilance officer of North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation in Shillong, Meghalaya.

Verma approached the Central Administrative Tribunal but it dismissed his objection saying that highly decorative police officers like him should serve in north-eastern states too.

Verma’s trach record has been questioned following inquiry in connection with 1997 Porbandar encounter and torture death cases involving then DSP Satish Verma.

In 1997 when Satish Verma was DSP, Porbandar’s Jasu Gagan Shiyal was killed in alleged fake encounter. Khambhalia’s Ahir Ranmal was dead due to alleged torcher, whileNaran Bandhia(Ahir) was found hanged behind Kutiana police choki.

On plea filed by brother of Jasu Gagan Shiyal, the High Court directed to probe into these three killings and submit a report in three months period.

Following this order, the state government had set up a team under state intelligence bureau chief Shivanand Jha. Jasu Gagan Shiyal encounter probe assigned to Ahmedabad city crime branch DCP Himanshu Shukla, Khambhalia’s Ranmal Ram Ahir torcher death case probe was assigned to Vadodara Rural SP Sandip Singh, while mysterious death of Naran Ahir in Kutiana probe was assigned to Porbandar district police chief Dipen Bhadran.

Verma was a nominee of Ishrat Jahan’s mother in the Special Investigation Team, formed by Gujarat high court to probe the encounter of Ishrat. Verma was later made part of the CBI team which was entrusted with the case by Gujarat High Court bench comprising Justices Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari after SIT submitted its report. Abhilasha Kumari is daughter of Congress Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

In July 2013, a letter written by former home ministry under-secretary RVS Mani surfaced. In this letter Mani had made allegations against Satish Verma. Mani alleged that he was forced by Verma to sign a statement. Mani, a former Home ministry official had prepared the two MHA affidavits in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. He had alleged that he was subjected to a “rough” interrogation and asked to sign a statement with twisted facts. Soon after his questioning, Mani wrote to his seniors in the urban development ministry, where he was posted, claiming that he was forced to sign a statement that presented facts he was not privy to. Mani had alleged discrepancies in the facts to his knowledge and framing of the same by Verma. Mani has alleged that Verma accused incumbent governments of “orchestrating” the terror attack on Parliament and the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai. Mani had said that Verma “…narrated that the 13.12. 2001(attack on Parliament) was followed by Pota (Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act) and 26/11 2008 (terrorists’ siege of Mumbai) was followed by amendment to the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).”

With inputs from agency