Kerala: Gopinatha Pillai, petitioner in Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, killed in road accident

Seventy-eight-year-old Pillai, who hailed from Charummodu in the district was involved in an accident on April 11 when he was on his way to Kochi for medical treatment.

Alappuzha: The Kerala police has begun Investigation into the death of Gopinath Pillai, father of Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Sheikh who was shot dead in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004, in a road accident. Seventy-eight-year-old Pillai, who hailed from Charummodu in the district was involved in an accident on April 11 when he was on his way to Kochi for medical treatment. He died yesterday. Police said they have seized three vehicles involved in the mishap. The probe was only to rule out any foul play in the mishap as some suspicions had been raised by some quarters. However, investigation so far has revealed that it was an accident. A case under 304A (causing death by negligence) has been registered, they said. Pillai's younger brother, who was driving the car, has also said the family was not suspecting any foul play and it was an accident. Javed Sheikh was among the four alleged terrorists shot dead on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. The others gunned down were 19-year-old college girl Ishrat Jahan from Mumbra in Maharashtra, Zeeshan Johar and Amzad Rana. The police termed them Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives allegedly on a mission to kill then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.