New Delhi: In a move that could have far-reaching consequences for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, jailed former Gujarat police officer D.G. Vanzara on Tuesday resigned from the IPS and accused the government of having failed to protect the policemen jailed for encounter deaths while implementing its ‘conscious policy’.
He also took pot shots at Modi for hawking his image as a leader who relentlessly quashed terror, while not protecting police officers whose actions gave him that profile.
Cong demands resignation of Modi over Vanzara's letter
The IPS officer had allegedly spearheaded some 11 controversial encounters, including the ones that resulted in the deaths of Ishrat Jahan, Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati. He has been in prison for six years, since April 2007, and is currently lodged at the Sabarmati Central Jail.
Vanzara was considered very close to Modi and then state home minister Amit Shah. In his 10-page resignation letter addressed to the Gujarat additional chief secretary (home) dated September 1, Vanzara launched a scathing attack on Shah, and also questioned Modi’s functioning, but just stopped short of saying that the encounters were ordered by the Modi-Shah duo, which could have sealed their political fate.
Describing the CM as his ‘god’, Vanzara said that all these years in jail he had kept ‘a graceful silence only because of my highest respect for Narendra Modi.’ He added: “But I’m sorry to say my god didn’t rise to the occasion under the evil influence of Shah, who usurped his eyes and ears.”
Next: Vanzara hits out at Amit Shah

Vanzara hits out at Amit Shah
DC Correspondent
New Delhi: One of Gujarat’s most senior policemen, DG Vanzara, who has been in jail since 2007 for a series of fake encounters. including Sohrabuddin Seikh and Ishrat Jehan, has said that officers like him were exploited by former state home minister Amit Shah and the government and later thrown to the wolves.
In his 10-page resignation letter addressed to the Gujarat additional chief secretary (home) dated September 1, jailed Vanzara, who was an IPS officer, said that Shah had been misguiding CM Narendra Modi ‘by converting goats into dogs and dogs into goats for the last 12 years’.
Launching a scathing attack on Shah, who is now the BJP incharge of Uttar Pradesh, the officer said “the criminal negligence of this government and wilful acts of omission and commission by the former minister towards the fate of 32 jailed officers are so nauseating that it may take this government to the cremation ground sooner or later.”
On Amit Shah: Vanzara alleged that Shah “introduced the dirty policy of use the officers and throw them by deliberately spreading disinformation about them.” He alleged that the Gujarat government, through the “dirty tactics” of Shah, was attempting to “swim and prosper in all directions while allowing police officers to sink and die a natural death.”
“I sincerely believe and state that but for the legal and political intrigues, machinations and manoeuvring of Amit Shah, the trial of Sohrabuddin encounter case, followed by that of Tulsiram encounter case, would not have gone out of the state of Gujarat.”.
It was state policy: The officer stated that between 2002 and 2007, when most of the encounters took place, officials of the Crime Branch, Anti-Terrorism Squad and the Border Range simply performed their duties “in compliance with a conscious policy of this government.”
On Modi:  While targeting Modi's political ambitions, Vanzara said: “It would not be out of context to remind (Modi) that he, in the hurry of marching towards Delhi, may kindly not forget to repay the debt which he owes to jailed police officers who endowed him with the halo of Brave Chief Minister.”
Political gains: He referred to how those killings paid “rich political dividends” to the government. “It is in everybody’s knowledge that this government has been reaping very rich political dividends since last 12 years by keeping the glow of encounter cases alive in the sky of Gujarat, while otherwise remaining low profile and indifferent to the fate of jailed police officers.”