Delhi’s Batla House Encounter: Everything you need to know about the 2008 ‘Encounter and Ariz Khan’s conviction’
Delhi's Batla House Encounter: Everything you need to know about the 2008 'Encounter and Ariz Khan’s conviction'
New Delhi: The Batla House encounter, which happened in the Okhla area of the national capital, that led to the death of Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma while two other officers sustained injuries.
Indian Mujahideen terrorist Ariz Khan was held guilty of killing inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in the 2008 Batla House encounter.
The Batla house encounter took place few days after a serial blast that rocked the national capital, in which at least 26 people were killed and 133 were injured.
About the encounter
On September 13, 2008, five bombs had exploded at Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Greater Kailash and India Gate, leading to registration of five cases.
After the blast, the Indian Mujahideen had taken responsibility.
The probe was taken up by a team under the supervision of Inspector Sharma. The encounter had taken place on September 19 after the police received information about the presence of suspects at a flat in Batla House.
Soon after the information was received, the police had conducted the raid for a user of one mobile number that was being used inside one of the flats.
During the raid, when the police tried to enter the flat, a gunshots were fired were Inspector Sharma and Head Constable Balwant Singh were injured.
During the encounter, the IM operatives Mohd Atif Ameen and Mohd Sajid were injured and was later declared brought dead at AIIMS hospital.
Also, Inspector Sharma who was injured haad succumbed to injuries.
While, Shahzad Ahmad and Ariz Khan had allegedly escaped from the site. However, Mohd Saif surrendered before the police.
Batla House Encounter-trail
After the competition if the investigation, the police had filed chargesheet against (Mohd Atif Ameen and Mohd Sajid who had died during the encounter), Ariz Khan and Shahzad Ahmad . However, no offence was made out against Mohd Saif, who was one of the occupants of the flat.
In 2010, Shahzad Ahmad was arrested by ATS Lucknow and he allegedly made a disclosure statement. Ahmad was arrested from the house in Azamgarh, which belonged to his grandfather. In 2013, Shahzad Ahmad was convicted by the Saket Court.
When was Ariz Khan arrested?
For a decades, Ariz Khan was on a run but it was in 2018 that he was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell. According to the police, Khan was arrested on the information of one Abdul Subhan Qureshi, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, from Uttarakhand.
Abdul Subhan Qureshi, was termed as “trained criminal” and not “an ordinary individual” by the Court.
Conviction of Ariz Khan
It was on 8 March 2021, that Ariz Khan was convicted for the murder of Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, and seven other offences. A week later, the trial court in Saket sentenced him to death by hanging.
While, he had challenged his conviction in the Delhi high court, as well as the death sentence handed to him for Sharma’s killing.
On the other hand, Shahzad Ahmed, another convict in this case, was arrested on January 1, 2010.