Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter: Brother claims threat to his life

Shahnawazuddin Shaikh, brother of Sohrabuddin Shaikh on Thursday approached the special CBI court to expedite his deposition in connection with the alleged encounter case. Shahnawazuddin claimed that he faces a threat to his life, owing to political pressure.

“The applicant hopes that the court may record his testimony expeditiously, as there is threat to his life. He is under constant surveillance by powerful politicians involved in the case, who are very competent to cause him severe harm,” the plea filed by Shahnawazuddin stated.

Shahnawazuddin has also alleged in his application that CBI ‘has failed to include him as witness in the case and has not produced reference material seized from him.’ He said that the seized material includes signed pages of his brother’s close aide Tulsiram Prajapati, who was also killed in an encounter.

Shahnawazuddin pleaded before the court that he be recorded as witness in the case, as he had had met Prajapati in jail after Sohrabuddin’s encounter.

“The applicant met Prajapati around September-October, 2006, at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh where the latter had been produced before the district court. Prajapati had apologised to the applicant for having been instrumental in his brother’s murder,” the application stated.

The plea further stated that Prajapati had, in their conversation, expressed the fear of being killed by the police, as he was an eye witness to the alleged abduction of Sohrabuddin and his wife Kausarbi.

Shahnawazuddin now wants his deposition to be recorded at the earliest. He claimed that he approached court realising the information shared by him with CBI has not been brought on record by the probing agency.

The court has asked prosecution to file a reply on Shahnawazuddin’s plea. The application is scheduled for hearing next week.