Death of Sohrabuddin Sheikh

Encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh
Part of Encounter killings by police
DateNovember 23, 2005; 18 years ago (November 23, 2005)
Location
Vishala Circle, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Resulted inKilling of Sohrabuddin Sheikh
Parties
Casualties and losses
1 death

The Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case is a criminal case in the Gujarat state after the death of Sohrabuddin Anwarhussain Sheikh on November 26, 2005. A special CBI court acquitted all the 22 accused in the case in the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife.[1][2]

Apart from being involved in the criminal extortion racket in Gujarat, Sheikh was also involved in arms smuggling in Madhya Pradesh, and also had murder cases registered against him in Gujarat and Rajasthan.[3] Sheikh was also claimed by the police to be associated with the banned global terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence, and was alleged to have planned to create communal chaos in the state by assassinating "an important political leader".[3][4] Although the target of Sheikh's plans has never been officially revealed, the impression was given to political effect that it was to have been Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. Sheikh's wife Kauser Bi also disappeared on the same day as his killing. A year later, on December 26, 2006, Sheikh's associate Tulsiram Prajapati, a witness to Sheikh's killing, was also killed in another police encounter shooting.[5]

Sheikh was alleged by the police to be extorting protection money from local marble factories in Gujarat and Rajasthan.[5] He was also claimed to have links to fellow underworld criminals Sharifkhan Pathan, Abdul Latif, Rasool Parti and Brajesh Singh, who were all members and associates of India's largest organized crime network and underworld mafia operated by Dawood Ibrahim.[3][4][5] During investigations before he was arrested, the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of the Gujarat police claimed to have found 40 AK-47 assault rifles from his residence Village Jhirniya, District Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.[6]

  1. ^ "Sohrabuddin Encounter Case: All 22 accused acquitted". The Times of India. 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case verdict LIVE: All 22 accused acquitted of all charges". The Indian Express. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b c "Criminal sent by LeT, ISI to kill Gujarat leader shot dead". news.outlookindia.com. 26 November 2005. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Terrorism Update". Satp.org. 27 November 2005. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference TITP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "City Crime Branch gets Dawood gang member on transit warrant". Indian Express. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2012.