Cannon Fodder

Here's why a fake encounter by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad has shocked the nation:

• Three senior police officers were involved in the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh.
  
• The victim was passed off as an LeT operative who was plotting to kill senior Gujarat politicians, including chief minister Narendra Modi.
  
• The case came out into the open only after the Supreme Court ordered an investigation.
  
• A witness to Sheikh's killing has also been bumped off in an encounter.
  
• There is a question mark over five other encounters to which one of the three officers is linked.

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