Headley’s statement re-establishes Gujarat police claim: Gujarat Home Minister

Gandhinagar

After the sensational revelation of Ishrat Jahan’s links with the dreaded Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) by former LeT operative David Coleman Headley in his deposition today, Gujarat Home Minister Rajni Patel said that it has re-established the state police’s claim that she had come with a terror plot.

Ishrat, a 19 year old college girl from Mumbai and three others were killed in an encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. Police claimed they were Lashkar members planning to kill the then chief minister Narendra Modi.

Minister of State for Home. Mr. Patel today said that Headley’s statement before a Mumbai court during his deposition through video conferencing has re-established the Gujarat police’s claim.

‘The Gujarat police foiled the terror plot successfully then and it is ready to thwart any such attempts in future too,’ the minister said.

Meanwhile, another minister of the state Mr. Vijay Rupani today lambasted Congress party in the wake of Headley’s statement. ‘Narendrabhai (Modi) and Amit Bhai (Shah) had taken strong measures to check terrorism. Congress had created a lot of noise then regarding the incident (the encounter) calling it fake. Now our claim has again been proven correct, he said.

The Pakistani-American terrorist Headley, deposing for the third day today from a US prison, told the special court in Mumbai in connection with 2008 Mumbai terror attacks through video conferencing that Ishrat worked for LeT.and that LeT has a women’s wing.

The police had claimed that Ishrat, a resident of Mumbra near Mumbai; Javed Sheikh, son of Gopinath Pillai of Kerala; and Pakistani citizens Amzad Ali Rana and Jishan Jauhar were connected with the LeT and were coming to Gujarat to assassinate Mr. Modi to avenge the 2002 communal riots. It was later disputed leading to a long drawn legal battle and incarceration of some senior police officials.

In September 2009 a court in Ahmedabad termed the encounter as fake. The Gujarat High Court constituted a three member Special Investigation Team in September 2010 and orderd CBI probe in December 2011. Several senior police officers and the then home minister Amit Shah were accused in the sensational case. In May 2014 however a special CBI court here gave clean chit to Mr Shah. Accused IPS officers P P Pandey and D G Vanzara were released on bail later.

Headley, who pleaded guilty in March 2010 to 12-count of terror charges, before a US court including plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks at the behest of Pakistan-based LeT and conspiring to target a Danish newspaper, escaped death penalty.

– DeshGujarat