Gujarat: Vijay Rupani govt gives post retirement promotion to former IPS officer DG Vanzara

The Vijay Rupani government has given a post-retirement promotion to former Indian Police Service officer Dahyaji Gobarji Vanzara to the post of Inspector General (IG) on Tuesday.

Vanzara had retired from the IPS as Deputy Inspector General on May 31, 2014, after spending eight years in jail for his alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings by Gujarat Police.

Although, CBI courts in 2017 and 2019 had acquitted him of all charges in two fake encounter killing cases. Vanzara is currently entitled to pension and arrears of salary pending from September 2007.

According to a report in The Indian Express, notification order issued by Sangeeta Singh, additional chief secretary to the Government of Gujarat, Home Department said, “Shri DG Vanzara, IPS (GJ 1987) who has been retired in DGIP Grade on 31.05.2014 is promoted to the IGP grade with deemed date in the Pay Band 4 : Rs 37400-67000, Grade pay Rs 10000 (pre-revised) with effect from 29.09.2007. The orders regarding payment of arrears with respect to deemed date promotion to Shri DG Vanzara IPS (GJ 1987) will be issued separately by the Home Department.”

Indian Police Service officer of 1987 batch, Vanzara along with RK Pandian and Dinesh MN was first arrested in April 2007 by a team of Gujarat CID for his alleged involvement in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauser Bi fake encounter case. Vanzara was also charged for the encounter killing of Ishrat Jahan, Tulsiram Prajapati and three others.

DG Vanzara was lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail after his arrest in 2007. In November 2012, Vanzara was transferred to Mumbai’s Taloja jail after the Supreme Court shifted the trial in the Sohrabuddin case. In June 2013, CBI arrested Vanzara in the Ishrat Jahan case and brought him back to Sabarmati jail. In September 2014, he was granted bail in the Sohrabuddin case by the Bombay High Court, and in February 2015, he walked out of jail after a CBI Special Court allowed his bail plea in the Ishrat case.

Then in 2017, Vanzara was acquitted of all charges in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh case and in May 2019, a CBI court acquitted him in the Ishrat Jahan case as well.