The CBI officials said D.G. Vanzara’s questioning will help the agency gather “fresh leads” in the fake encounter cases, including the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case. Sources said the questioning of the 1987-batch IPS officer is expected to shed light on the role of the highest functionaries in the state government in the fake encounter cases being probed by the CBI.
Mr Vanzara, who tendered his resignation after slamming Mr Modi in connection with the probe in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan case, has accused the Gujarat chief minister and the former minister of state (home) for failing to stand by him and other officers who implemented the government’s “conscious policy” of “eliminating terrorism” and “zero tolerance”. Mr Shah is Mr Vanzara’s co-accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounter cases and is out on bail.
With Mr Vanzara likely to spill the beans, the developments are expected to provide fodder to the Congress in the coming days to attack Mr Modi and puncture his prime ministerial ambitions. The Congress has already demanded Mr Modi’s resignation, saying the “Gujarat government does not have right to stay even for a minute”.
A deputy inspector-general of police (DIG) rank officer, Mr Vanzara was once considered close to Mr Modi. In his letter to the Gujarat government, Mr Vanzara wrote that he once adored Mr Modi like God, but the former could not rise to the occasion under the “evil” influence of Mr Shah. He said Mr Modi betrayed him.