'Rana told cops he planned terror act; no evidence that Modi was target'

One of the three men killed along with Ishrat Jahan had told the Gujarat police prior to the alleged fake encounter that he planned to commit terrorist act in Ahmedabad but the Central Bureau of Investigation found "no evidence" that they had come here "to kill" Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the agency has said in its charge sheet in the 2004 case.

According to the CBI, Ishrat, Amjad Ali Rana and two others had been in illegal detention of Gujarat police before the fake encounter.

"One of the deceased, Amjad Ali Rana, during his illegal detention at Arham Farm near Gandhinagar had stated that he had come to Ahmedabad with a plan to commit a terrorist act at some crowded location in Ahmedabad," states the charge sheet filed on Wednesday

"(Indian Police Service officers) D G Vanzara, Rajinder Kumar, N K Amin and G L Singhal had met Amjad Ali at Arham Farm during his confinement. Amjad Ali, during that time, had stated that he had come to Ahmedbad with a plan to commit a terrorist act at some crowded location in the city," the charge sheet states.

It does not say if the CBI itself has found any independent evidence about Rana's plans.

The charge-sheet has not revealed or elaborated further on whether Ishrat and other three were terrorists or had links with terrorists, but it has mentioned that contrary to the claims of the Gujarat police, the four had no plans to kill Modi.

“During our investigation so far, we have found no evidence that all four deceased had entered the city to kill Modi," it says.

Describing how Amjad Ali was abducted, the charge sheet says, "Investigation revealed that on May 26, 2004, a team of DCB, Ahmedabad City, comprising N K Amin, Tarun Barot and I K Chauhan with the assistance of M K Sinha and Rajeev Wankhede, ACIOs of SIB, Ahmedabad, abducted Amjad Ali from Gota Crossing on the outskirts of the city.

"Above team of accused officers...confined him in illegal custody at Arham Farm House, near Gandhinagar from May 26 till the fateful morning of June 15, 2004," it added.