Tulsiram bumped off, Johri closed in

AHMEDABAD: The Modi government has brought back Geetha Johri into the Sohrabuddin fake encounter probe at a juncture when the link between this encounter of November 26, 2005 and that of his aide, Tulsiram Prajapati, on December 28, 2006, was being established.
Johri lost an important witness in this case during her last stint when Prajapati, whom she was to interrogate in connection with this case, was bumped off in a police encounter, days after her requisition to record his statement.Now, Johri will also probe the Prajapati killing registered in the border district of Banaskantha.
Sources say, "Johri was going to record statements of all Sohrabuddin's associates, including Prajapati and Sylvestor Christian from Udaipur".
But with Prajapati's encounter in December 2006, the police are not sure if he was the third man who was with Sohrabuddin and Kauserbi when they boarded the Hyderabad-Sangli bus on November 22, 2005.
Investigations have now hinted at a person named 'Kalimuddin' who may have been with the couple and may have been brought to Ahmedabad with them. It is not known if Prajapati was travelling on this assumed name.
The version doing the rounds is that a particular officer of superintendent of police rank posted in west Ahmedabad, was at Hyderabad during the time when Sohrabuddin was there with Kauserbi. This officer is learnt to have introduced Prajapati, who was also a police informer, to superintendent of police Rajkumar Pandian to help the police team identify Sohrabuddin.
If it is proved that the Prajapati killing is linked to the Sohrabuddin's, it could be critical to nail deputy inspector general of police DG Vanzara, now under arrest, and could also suggest involvement of several other IPS officers.
However, the Prajapati encounter case booked by the Banaskantha police, has no panch (neutral) witnesses, only police witnesses. Vanzara was holding charge of this district then.
It is believed that Prajapati, may have double-crossed Sohrabuddin, by helping the police track him. Sohrabuddin's brother, Rubabuddin's petition says, Prajapati informed Rubabuddin on November 24, 2005, two days before the encounter, that he was called by ATS to a flat in Dani Limda where Sohrabuddin and Kauserbi were present and it is there that he identified the two.