For almost a decade, his name popped up in the political discourse in Gujarat whenever elections were round the corner. At the vortex of the fake encounter cases that became a critical part of campaigns during the assembly elections of 2007 and 2012, retired inspector general of police (IGP) DG Vanzara on Wednesday floated his own political outfit, Praja Vijay Paksha, announcing candidates on all 182 assembly seats for the two-phase elections on December 1 and 5.
1987-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Vanzara, who was one of the first officers from the tribal community in north Gujarat, had a meteoric rise in the political establishment after a string of terrorist encounters including those of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Ishrat Jehan. However, he got mired in controversy when a CID probe alleged that the two encounters were fake and Vanzara along with half a dozen police officers were arrested in these two cases in 2007.
These encounter cases continued to have huge political ramifications with the arrest of the then state home minister Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin case in 2010. The issue became a huge political talking point with the BJP accusing the then Congress government at the Centre of destabilising the Gujarat government by targeting its politicians and policemen.
Shah and Vanzara both were acquitted in the case later. Though Vanzara was at one time considered close to Amit Shah, the two apparently had a falling-out after Shah was granted bail and later acquitted. Vanzara had lamented that Shah had done little to help those officials who were arrested in the cases. In 2013, he had written an explosive letter alleging that he had become a victim of a political controversy and had indirectly taken a dig at Shah.
Vanzara had expressed his willingness to take the political plunge even during the last assembly elections, but for these polls scheduled to be held next month, he has not only launched his party but has announced that the party would contest from all the 182 seats in the state.
“The Congress has never been an alternative for the people of Gujarat. They have never been able to address issues like unemployment and corruption by the ruling BJP in Gujarat,” said Vanzara. He said that the Praja Vijay Paksha will be a “Hinduwadi” party and the Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party are in no position to take on the Hindutva ideology. “This party apart from tackling corruption and unemployment will also address the problems being faced by the majority community,” said Vanzara.
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