After the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have welcomed the Delhi court's verdict to convict the lone suspect in custody, Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Shahzad Ahmed for murder and other offences in the 2008 Batla House encounter case, former Samajwadi Party leader Shahid Siddiqui remained unsatisfied with the decision and said that he is waiting for the case to be heard in a higher court before he was convinced of the authenticity of the encounter.
"I welcome the order of the court. However, when cases like this one go to higher courts and the evidence is more closely examined we usually see a differing verdict. So I think that when the case is discussed in the High Court, the real truth will emerge. This case has been severely debated and I am still not convinced that all the questions have been answered. In a higher court the verdict might change. I am not convinced that there is enough evidence at present. " Siddiqui said here on Thursday.
Continuing on his suspicion with regard to the presented evidence in this case, Siddiqui said that in his understanding there were several loopholes and unanswered questions regarding the five year old encounter's legitimacy.
"There is a lot of doubt over the Batla House encounter. To say that some of the alleged perpetrators ran away, jumping from the third floor amidst high police presence without being injured is hard to understand. Even the bullets weren't found in the post-mortem report of Mohan Chand Sharma. There is no evidence" Siddiqui added.
Before the verdict was pronounced by the Delhi Court, Siddiqui had demanded a higher level inquiry into the case, while criticizing the UPA-led government for not having appointed an independent inquiry commission into the case.
After the verdict, Siddiqui maintained this stand demanding a higher level inquiry saying "By asking for a judicial enquiry, I mean an enquiry by the High Court or Supreme Court. We will not be satisfied till a higher level of inquiry is conducted. Till then, we do not feel that the entire truth will come forward. In this country, lower courts do not bring the full truth forward. The truth is brought forward in its entirety only after an enquiry in the higher courts."
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The shootout between the special cell team and the alleged IM terrorists in Batla House locality in Jamia Nagar, Delhi, took place six days after serial blasts hit the national capital on September 13, 2008, leaving 30 dead and over 100 injured.
Acting on a tip-off regarding 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 incident.