Batla House encounter verdict: Congress' Rashid Alvi asks 'Why is BJP taking credit?'

Lashing out at the BJP for pulling up Sonia Gandhi on Batla House Encounter verdict, Congress veteran Rashid Alvi on Monday, questioned as to why BJP was taking credit for the court verdict. Slamming Union Minister Prakash Javadekar's demand of an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, he said that Javadekar must seek Gandhi's apology instead. After thirteen years, alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorist  Ariz Khan was awarded the death penalty in the Batla House encounter for his role in killing Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and injuring Head Constables Balwant Singh and Rajbir Singh.

Congress: 'Why is BJP taking credit?'

"BJP just wants to take credit. They should not do so. Before seeking apology from Sonia Gandhi, Javadekar must say sorry to her, as she did not say anything against the nation. While people like Pragya Thakur are in Parliament, they give statements on curbing terrorism, which they have no right to do," said Alvi. Javadekar had tweeted that the verdict 'exposed the terrorist sympathisers and doubters lobby in the country', while seeking an apology from Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal.

 What is the Batla House encounter?

 On 13 September 2008, five serial bomb blasts had rocked the national capital killing 30 and injuring 90, with similar blasts occurring in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore. Indian Mujahideen had reportedly taken responsibility for the blast, ten minutes after the first bomb blast in Delhi's Ghaffar Market, as per reports. A week later, Delhi police received intelligence from Gujarat police regarding the location of Mujahideen operatives in Delhi, which led to an armed raid at Batla House on 19 September 2008.

As per reports, the Delhi Police Special Cell team reached Delhi's Batla House in Jamia Nagar and surrounded the location. The police planned to send its lead officer Mohan Chand Sharma to extract details of the residents posing as a telecom consultant, as his team would secure the sole entry/exit gate and the back lane of the house, state reports. But, when Sharma approached the flat, bereft of his bullet-proof vest, a 20-minute encounter followed with several rounds being fired from both sides.

In the encounter - two Batla House occupants were killed - Mohammad Sajid and Atif Amin, while Shahzad and Junaid (a.k.a) Ariz Khan escaped and Mohammad Saif was arrested. Moreover, Encounter specialist Mohan Chand Sharma was martyred and head constables Balwinder and Rajbir Singh were injured. Police claim that Junaid (Ariz Khan) was present at Batla House, along with four others, but managed to escape. While Ariz Khan was arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell in February 2018 from Nepal, Shahzad Ahmed was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court.