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Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who as then Home Minister monitored the probe into the Batla House case, today said he felt the gunfight between police and the Indian Mujahideen terrorists was genuine and was satisfied that the prosecution could prove the case in court.
Chidambaram said the encounter in Delhi's Batla House area took place before he assumed the charge as Union Home Minister in 2008 and he personally went through the evidence and talked to investigators after one of his colleagues suggested that it might not be genuine.
'I spent a lot of time pouring over the papers and talking to officers involved. And I was satisfied that it was a genuine encounter. Unfortunately, we have lost a brave police officer. It was also unfortunate that some of the suspects have escaped. I am told that the lone captured terrorist was held guilty. I am glad that the police have been able to prove their case,' he told reporters here.
His comments came hours after a Delhi court convicted the lone suspected IM operative Shahzad Ahmad in the 2008 Batla House encounter case for murdering a police inspector and assaulting other officers.
Chidambaram said even the National Human Rights Commission as well as the (Delhi) High Court too had held that there was no reason to doubt the genuineness of the encounter.
'Today, I think the trial court has held that it was a genuine encounter and found the accused guilty,' he said.
Asked about the statements of some of the Congress leaders, including Digvijay Singh, doubting the genuineness of the Batla House encounter, the Finance Minister said they were reflecting the views of families who were affected or the people of that area.
