Reuters AlertNet Lite - Three Indian police arrested for staged killing

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Three Indian police arrested for staged killing

07 May 2007 15:58:54 GMT
Source: Reuters

AHMEDABAD, India, May 7 (Reuters) - Three policemen were arrested in India's Gujarat state on Monday for the 2005 murder of a Muslim man, taking to six the number of officers detained in the case which centres on an unproved assassination plot.

Three senior police officers have already been arrested for the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, wrongly accused of planning to kill Gujarat's chief minister in revenge for deadly attacks on Muslims during religious riots in 2002.

"We have arrested three police officials on Monday for abducting and murdering Sohrabuddin Sheikh," senior official Y.A. Sheikh said.

The case dominated India's parliament on Monday with members of several parties, including the ruling Congress, demanding the resignation of Gujarat's chief minister Narendra Modi -- who belongs to the main opposition party, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Gujarat government has admitted in the Supreme Court that Sheikh was killed in a faked clash with officers in the western state and a fresh probe has been ordered. It also told the court last week that Sheikh's wife, Kausar Bi, who went missing after the incident, was also killed.

Investigating officials say there was no evidence linking Sheikh to any assassination plot. His wife, who witnessed the killing, was locked in a bungalow for days, tortured and later murdered.

Human rights groups accuse Modi of doing nothing to stop the religious rioting in which they say about 2,500 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. Officials say about 1,000 people died.

Rights groups also say that fake gun battles are common in many parts of the country, including the most violent region of Kashmir where an anti-India insurgency has been on since 1989.

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Last updated:Mon May 7 16:01:47 2007