Protests break out in Jamia Nagar as Digvijaya joins demands for a 'fair probe' into Batla House encounter



Iftaar at Batla House in Jamia Nagar on Thursday evening lacked the daily fervour and flavour. The impact of the court verdict in the 2008 encounter case could be seen on the grim faces of people who had gathered at the mosque near the infamous L-18 building in the area.



The lanes in the area wore a deserted look as residents were still glued to their TV sets trying to understand the reasons why the court declared the accused guilty in the case. Many were not surprised and claimed that they were expecting this verdict from the trial court.



Expressing his disappointment over the ruling, 76-year-old Abdul Gaffar Khan said: "Those (the convicts) were students who were here to study. We had seen inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, coming down the stairs and he was fine till then. We don't know what happened after that."



No closure: Locals protest against the ruling at Batla House

While most of the residents disapproved the verdict, many of them preferred to keep mum over the issue.



"People already know the reality and we can't go against the court. It has been five years since the incident took place and people have nearly forgotten about the incident which had shaken the locality at that time. It has also brought a bad name to the area. Things have settled now and everybody is busy in their job," said Afroz, a local shopkeeper, who refused to get clicked by a photographer.



Protesters gather at L18, Batla House in Jamia Nagar, where the 'encounter' took place on 19 September 2008

Many youths demanded a reinvestigation into the case.



"We want a fair probe into the matter, which we believe has not happened so far. We want a judicial inquiry into the encounter. This is the judgment of a trial court and now we will move the high court for justice," said Ashu Khan, a resident.



Amit Jami, a human rights activist, reposed his faith in the justice of high court.



"There are many examples where the high court has overruled lower court verdicts. In this case, too, we have complete faith on the high court. One should always keep in mind that no residents were made a witness in the case trial and this raises doubts over the investigation by the police," he said.



Mail Today also visited the flat on the top floor of L-18 building and found the door locked from outside. The owner of the flat was not there. People said nobody has come forward to take the flat on rent after the incident.



"People believe that the flat is jinxed and nobody wants to stay there," said Aneesh, another student.



People said that even five years after the encounter, students from the area face problems getting jobs in big corporate houses.



"Youths of this locality have earned a bad name in the absence of a fair inquiry into the encounter. The incident is like a scar on the face of Batla House," said Zohaib, a student.

Residents said they are now waiting for July 29, the day the court will pronounce the sentence of the convict in the murder of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.

Digvijaya eats crow after ruling

By Mail Today in New Delhi

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said he 'respected' the judgement, but stood by his call for a judicial inquiry

Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh, who was proactive in calling the Batla encounter fake, is eating crow after the court verdict on Thursday.



However, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister put up a brave front, saying: "I respect the judgment. It is for the aggrieved party to either accept the verdict or appeal against it. I had asked for a judicial inquiry, which I felt was fully justified but it was denied. I reiterate my earlier stand".



Asked about the statements of some of the Congress leaders, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said they were reflecting the views of families who were affected or the people of that area.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi downplayed Singh's statements questioning the genuineness of the encounter, saying individuals could have commented in a surcharged atmosphere but those should not be given credence now.

Anger and disbelief boil over in Azamgarh

By Piyush Srivastava in Lucknow

The village of Sanjarpur in the Azamgarh district was home to Mohammad Atif Ameen and Mohammad Sajid, the youths gunned down by the Delhi Police in the Batla House encounter on September 19, 2008.



Shahzad Ahmed was convicted of murder and may now face the death penalty

The villagers are shocked as well as anguished over the Delhi court order. They believe that it was a fake encounter where the two youths were shot dead from close quarters alongside another youth, Mohammad Saif, who had surrendered.



They also hold that inspector Sharma only received a bullet. Saif's father Shadab Ahmad said: "The lower court order is against our hope. But we have SAR Gilani's case before us who was convicted and sentenced to death for 2001 Parliament attack was acquitted by the high court. So we still have the option of moving the high court."



"As far as people of Sanjarpur in particular and Azamgarh in general are concerned, we are disappointed," Tariq Shafique, a childhood friend of the youths said.



Shafique claimed that Shahzad Ahmed (24), who has been found guilty of killing Sharma, is innocent.



"The police have framed Shahzad. Investigators mentioned his name as Shahzad alias Pappu. But he was never known as Pappu", Shafique added.



Shahzad's mother Parveen Bano said: "The Delhi Police claim that my son had learnt flying at a private aviation institute in Bangalore and he was planning a 9/11 like attack. But we had given him Rs 1 lakh in July 2008 to go to Delhi and join a pilot training institute. But he never joined any course. He left the Capital after the incident because his landlord asked him to vacate the room. He returned to Azamgarh and used to live with us or in Khalispur village where we have an ancestral house. His only crime was that he knew Atif Ameen."

'Judgement a setback to struggle for justice'

By Sana Shakil in New Delhi

As a Delhi court on Thursday convicted Shahzad Ahmad for the murder of inspector M.C. Sharma, there were many who termed the judgment a setback to the struggle for justice. Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association (JTSA), formed in the wake of the police shootout in 2008, has expressed disappointment at the conviction.



Manisha Sethi of the Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association was present in court for the judgement

Most members of the JTSA, including Manisha Sethi, Sanghamitra Misra, and Tanveer Fazal were present in the court.



The JTSA and the Batla House residents feel there are many questions which have been left unanswered. Dissatisfied with the verdict, they plan to appeal the lower court's verdict in the Delhi High Court.



Reacting to the judgment, Sethi said: "We are of course disappointed by the judgment but not shocked as we have seen many convictions by trial courts. Defence lawyer Satish Tamta had destroyed the prosecution case. This raises many questions. We will have to read the judgment to see on what grounds Shahzad has been convicted. How were the questions of the defence disregarded?"



"Shahzad was not a superman that he could have jumped off the fourth floor and escaped. It is also not possible that he could have simply walked out of the building amid so many cops. How could you think he and Ariz could have escaped? He was clearly not present in the flat," said Shamim Ahmad, a local resident and retired professor of Jamia Millia Islamia University.



Dr Javed Akhtar, president of Association for Welfare, Medical, Educational and Legal Assistance, that is fighting the case on Shahzad's behalf, said: "Once the court pronounces its judgment on July 29, we will discuss the case minutely with the lawyers," adding that they will definitely appeal the conviction in the high court.



