March 23: Assistant Police Inspector Vasant Dhoble of the Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU), who gunned down Javed Fawda in an encounter, today told the Enquiry into Encounters Commission that he was suspended and later dismissed from service in a `private case'. Dhoble said he had been convicted by a Sessions court and sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs one lakh in a case involving the death of one Abdul Gaffar Khan in March, 1994.During the cross-examination by SP counsel Majeed Memon, Dhoble said he was in custody for two days. He denied that the case was in connection with a custodial death. The Bombay High Court, in its order dated May 26, 1996, had set aside the conviction order, and an SLP was later admitted against him in the Supreme Court, which is pending. He was reinstated in the same post as API on March 20, 1996.Dhoble said between August 13 and 21, the CIU had instructions to track down the culprits in the Gulshan Kumar murder case. Between these dates, hereceived information that some unknown persons had fired at Kumar in the jurisdiction of DN Nagar police station. Dhoble said since the case was not being investigated by him, he did not see the FIR on the encounter.
