Ishrat Jahan encounter accused to continue as Gujarat top cop

Gandhinagar: Gujarat's Acting Director General of Police P.P. Pandey, who is an accused in the killing of Ishrat Jahan and associates in an alleged shootout, was given a three-month extension of service on Tuesday, the day he retired. The state government's recommendation to extend Pandey's services was approved by the Union Home Ministry. Besides heading the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Pandey was holding the charge of the Director General of Police of the state. A 1980 batch IPS officer, Pandey was arrested in July 2013 in connection with the killing of Ishrat Jahan, a 18-year-old girl from Mumbra in Mumbai, in the alleged gunfight. The IPS officer was released on bail in February 2015 after remaining in jail for 19 months. After his discharge on bail, he was not only promoted by the state government but also given the additional charge of the Director General of Police. Senior police officer Julio Ribeiro had challenged Pandey's appointment as DGP in the Gujarat High Court, which, however, turned down the petition. Pandey has appealed to the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court to dismiss the charge against him in the alleged shootout.