The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded an apology from the ruling Congress party for doubting the authenticity of the Batla house encounter, after a Delhi court handed out a life imprisonment sentence to the prime accused, Shahzad Ahmed, earlier today.
"On the occasion of this verdict, we demand that the Congress must apologize to the nation for demoralizing the police force, raising doubts about the martyrdom of Mohan Chand Sharma and also raising and emboldening the terrorists because their leaders visited the terror suspect", BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said here today.
Javadekar added that the Congress must also apologize for Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid's statement that said Sonia Gandhi cried for those apprehended on account of the case when he narrated the Batla house encounter story to her.
Javadekar said that the verdict might have fallen short in sending out a strong message against terrorism on behalf of the country.
"He has been awarded life imprisonment. Many people wanted to see the terrorist hanged because it is a war against India, so we must be tougher against those", Javadekar said.
Delhi Police had sought death penalty for Shahzad Ahmed.
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A Delhi court today awarded life sentence to Shahzad Ahmed, who was convicted last week in the controversial 2008 Batla house encounter case. Additionally, the court has asked him to pay a fine of Rs. 90,000.
Shahzad was held guilty of murdering police inspector M. C. Sharma and assaulting other police officers.
The encounter had taken place at flat, number L-18, Batla House at Jamia Nagar locality here on September 19, 2008, six days after serial bomb blasts that rocked Delhi, killing 26 people and injuring 133.
Acting on a tip-off on some terrorists involved in the blasts, the police team led by Inspector Sharma went to Batla House on September 19. Sharma was killed during the encounter.