‘Fake’ encounter: FSL officer says 6 items ‘seized’ from Sohrabuddin did not have blood on them

The accused policemen from Gujarat and Rajasthan claim that Sohrabuddin, a wanted accused in multiple cases including those of murder and extortion, was killed in an encounter after a cross-firing with the police on November 26, 2005. (File)

In the Sohrabuddin Shaikh alleged fake encounter case, it was revealed before the court Wednesday that of the nine articles found on him after his encounter, six had no traces of blood. A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) official, formerly attached to the FSL in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, who deposed as a prosecution witness, also submitted that two other articles had insufficient blood for analysis. Blood was only found on a chain Sohrabuddin was wearing at that time, the witness said.

The accused policemen from Gujarat and Rajasthan claim that Sohrabuddin, a wanted accused in multiple cases including those of murder and extortion, was killed in an encounter after a cross-firing with the police on November 26, 2005. The accused, police claim, was coming from Surat to Ahmedabad on that day and was on a motorcycle when he was chased in a bid to catch him. After the encounter, nine articles were among the items seized and sent for analysis.

The forensic official, now retired, said that he had examined all nine articles which include 92 currency notes, a chain, railway ticket from Surat to Ahmedabad, three visiting cards, a driving licence, an excess fair ticket, a brown cover. While the other articles including Sohrabuddin’s shirt, pant, underwear had blood on them, six of these articles did not. The official said that as per his report there was blood on the chain, which, after examination, was found to be positively that of a human.

The blood type, however, could not be identified. Two other visiting cards also had small stains, but the forensic report had said that it was ‘insufficient’ for analysis. The official also said that a blood sample sent to him for examination was identified by him to be that of Sohrabuddin.

While the Gujarat police had filed an FIR which claimed that Sohrabuddin was killed in an encounter, the CBI in its chargesheet had claimed that evidence including this forensic report shows that the encounter was ‘staged’, due to irregularities including the items found on him, without the blood stains.