Thaindian News

Gandhinagar, Aug 26 (IANS) After ignoring two summons, police commissioner of Gujarat’s Rajkot town Geetha Johri appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) here Thursday in connection with the 2005 staged killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and the later elimination of his wife Kauserbi.
This is the second time that she is being questioned by the CBI, the first time being in March this year.

Johri had avoided two previous CBI summons, issued Aug 10 and 20. The first was on grounds that she was busy with the arrangements of the state level Independence Day celebrations and the second citing ill health.

Johri was the supervising officer of the Sohrabuddin case when she was posted in the Gujarat state CID (Criminal Investigation Department) between 2007 and 2009 while the Supreme Court was overseeing the probe.

She came under a cloud for her handling of the investigations and was pulled up by the apex court. The case was finally taken away from the Gujarat CID (crime) and handed over to the CBI.

The CBI initially wanted to question both Johri and her then boss, additional director general of police O.P. Mathur, who was then heading the state CID (crime) department.

A crucial CD carrying details of mobile conversations between key officers and the minister of state for home Amit Shah, who resigned after his alleged involvement in the case, around the time of the shootout deposited by DIG Rajnish Rai as part of evidence was found tampered with.

Mathur had reportedly shifted the blame on Johri, and the CBI was keen to confront the two with each other.

The Gujarat anti-terrorism squad (ATS) has been accused of killing Sheikh in a staged shootout Nov 26, 2005 in Ahmedabad. Police claimed he was a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative.