CBI to quiz Arshad Ali in Dara Singh case

JAIPUR: The Central Bureau of Investigations is planning to seek the custody of suspended additional superintendent of police (ASP) Arshad Ali, the officer in Dara Singh encounter case who surrendered before the CBI court on Wednesday. CBI is planning to quiz Ali to find out who was 'guiding' the police officers about the encounter between October 15, 2006 to October 23, 2006 when Dara Singh was in their illegal detention and was gunned down.
It seems that CBI is not happy with the turn of events after Ali surrendered and was send to judicial custody till November, 14. The agency through its counsel filed a revision petition on Friday seeking the remand of Ali before the special CBI court to which the court has given November 14 to take on the matter. However, the counsel on behalf of Ali had objected to it and said when the charge-sheet is already completed in the case there was no point in interrogating the accused.
"There are many things which needed to ask especially who were behind the whole planning and execution of the Dara Singh's elimination," said an officer with CBI while talking to TOI on Saturday.
Initially, when CBI had invited the IG A Ponnuchamy, ADG A K Jain and Ali and have arrested Ponnuchamy, Jain and Ali in order to escape arrest went missing.
According to sources, the agency plans to investigate the role of former BJP minister Rajendra Rathore who was just named in the charge-sheet filed by the CBI.
An officer said, "There are many important things which need to be verified from Ali since he is the accused in the case. The cellphone of Dara Singh was yet to be found and thus it is important to quiz Ali. Where was Dara Singh kept while the team of special operation group had abducted him?"
The agency also wants to ask Ali where he had hidden while he was evading arrest for the past five months.
CBI wants to ask the officers involved in the Dara Singh case that who was directing them during October 15, 2006 to October 23, 2006 when the Singh was abducted and later eliminated.
It has informed the court that Ali did not intimate the agency about his plans for surrender, thus the officers could not attend the proceedings with the case diary on that date. On Monday when Ali will appear before the court on the expiry of his judicial custody the special CBI court is going to take up the revision petition filed by the CBI.