FerdinandGarden at 16:37, 2 January 2026

2026-01-02T16:37:32Z

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{{Short description|Former police officer in Gujarat, India}}
'''Dahyaji Gobarji Vanzara''' (D. G. Vanzara) is a former [[Inspector-general of police|Inspector-General of Police]] (IG) of [[Gujarat]], [[India]]. He was in judicial custody from 2007 until his bail in 2015 on charges of having conducted a series of [[extrajudicial killing]]s,<ref>{{cite news|title=Modi's 'Vanzara' Moment: Encounter Killings as State Policy|author=Subhash Gatade|publisher=Mainstream|date=September 21, 2013|url=http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article4462.html}}</ref> while heading the [[Anti-Terrorism Squad|Anti-Terrorist Squad]] (ATS).<ref name=NDTV>{{cite news|title=Who is DG Vanzara?|publisher=NDTV|date=August 2, 2010|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/who-is-dg-vanzara-41013}}</ref> He was discharged in the [[Sohrabuddin Sheikh|Sohrabuddin case]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|title=DG Vanzara discharged: Former Gujarat cop cleared in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case due to lack of evidence|work=Firstpost|date=2017-08-02|url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/dg-vanzara-discharged-former-gujarat-cop-cleared-in-sohrabuddin-fake-encounter-case-due-to-lack-of-evidence-3883413.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170802060938/http://www.firstpost.com/india/dg-vanzara-discharged-former-gujarat-cop-cleared-in-sohrabuddin-fake-encounter-case-due-to-lack-of-evidence-3883413.html|archive-date=2017-08-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Vanzara joined the [[Gujarat Police]] as [[Deputy superintendent of police|DSP]] in 1980, was promoted to [[Indian Police Service|IPS]] officer in 1987, and retired on 31 May 2014 as [[Deputy inspector general of police|Deputy IG]]. After being cleared in [[Encounter killing|fake encounter]] cases in February 2020, he received a post-retirement promotion to IG, effective from 29 September 2007.

== Cases ==
An IPS officer of the 1987 batch, his tenure saw a spurt in [[encounter killing]]s, including:
* Sameer Khan (shot dead September 2002)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main30.asp?filename=Ne190507Fake_killingsCS.asp|title=Tehelka – the People's Paper|access-date=2013-10-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130710065359/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main30.asp?filename=Ne190507Fake_killingsCS.asp|archive-date=2013-07-10|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Sadiq Jamal (2003)
* [[Ishrat Jahan encounter killing|Ishrat Jahan and three others]] (shot dead June 15, 2004)
* [[Sohrabuddin Sheikh]] (shot dead November 2005)
* Sheikh's wife Kausar Bi (killed in Vanzara's village)<ref>{{cite news|title=Death by Firing Squad|author=Ashish Khetan and Harinder Baweja|publisher=Tehelka|date=May 12, 2007|url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main30.asp?filename=Ne120507Death_by_CS.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511095249/http://tehelka.com/story_main30.asp?filename=Ne120507Death_by_CS.asp|archive-date=2012-05-11|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Tulsiram Prajapati]] (killed December 28, 2006)

As of September 2013, 32 officers—including six IPS officers—were jailed for these encounters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-modi-was-my-god-amitbhai-usurped-his-eyes-and-ears-/1164159/|title=Excerpts from Vanzara's letter: Modi was my god|date=September 4, 2013|work=The Indian Express}}</ref>

In 2013, Vanzara stated:<ref name=letter>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Vanjara-Gujarat-Police-targeted-for-extra-political-reasons/articleshow/46283213.cms|title=Ache din are back: Vanzara after release|author=Sarfaraz Shaikh|work=The Times of India|date=February 18, 2015}}</ref>
<blockquote>
The [[Criminal Investigation Department (India)|CID]]/[[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] arrested my officers and me for allegedly fake encounters. If that is true, then the CBI investigating officers for all cases should also be arrested, as we, the field officers, simply implemented government policy.
</blockquote>

Former DSP N. K. Amin testified in 2008 of a police-politician-criminal nexus in the Sohrabuddin case.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dreaded group|author=Lyla Bavadam|publisher=Frontline|date=October 8, 2010|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=20100827271701300.htm&date=fl2717/&prd=fline&}}</ref> High-level communications from [[Amit Shah]] to on-duty officers were questioned in court.<ref>{{cite news|title=If police control and command were not violated, Amit Shah would not be in this mess|work=Rediff|date=July 23, 2010|url=http://news.rediff.com/special/2010/jul/23/explained-what-cbi-summons-to-amit-shah-in-sohrabuddin-encounter-case-means.htm}}</ref>

In the Prajapati case, the encounter occurred in [[Banaskantha district]] shortly after Vanzara’s transfer there. Shah could not recall the reason for the transfer.<ref>{{cite news|title=CBI to question Amit Shah again in Prajapati case|author=Vinay Kumar|work=The Hindu|date=January 10, 2012|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/cbi-to-question-amit-shah-again-in-prajapati-case/article2788919.ece}}</ref> Shah was later indicted as the "kingpin and prime accused" in the Prajapati case.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tulsiram-prajapati-encounter-cbi-names-amit-shah-as-kingpin/1004520/|title=Tulsiram Prajapati encounter: CBI names Amit Shah as kingpin|date=September 18, 2012|work=The Indian Express}}</ref>

Vanzara was released on bail on February 18, 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-04-24 |title=D G Vanzara completes 7 years in jail |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/d-g-vanzara-completes-7-years-in-jail/articleshow/34127350.cms#:~:text=This%20story%20is%20from%20April,take%20any%20action%20against%20them. |access-date=2026-01-02 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Correspondent |first=Special |date=2017-08-01 |title=Vanzara, Dinesh discharged in Sohrabuddin encounter case |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/vanzara-dinesh-discharged-in-sohrabuddin-encounter-case/article19403612.ece |access-date=2026-01-02 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Shaikh |first=Sarfaraz |title=Ache din are back: Vanzara after release |work=The Times of India |date=2015-02-17 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/vanjara-gujarat-police-targeted-for-extra-political-reasons/articleshow/46283213.cms |access-date=2015-05-15}}</ref> He was acquitted in the Sohrabuddin case in August 2017 due to lack of evidence.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/dg-vanzara-discharged-former-gujarat-cop-cleared-in-sohrabuddin-fake-encounter-case-due-to-lack-of-evidence-3883413.html|title=DG Vanzara discharged: Former Gujarat cop cleared in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case due to lack of evidence|work=Firstpost|date=2017-08-02|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170802060938/http://www.firstpost.com/india/dg-vanzara-discharged-former-gujarat-cop-cleared-in-sohrabuddin-fake-encounter-case-due-to-lack-of-evidence-3883413.html|archive-date=2017-08-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanzara, Dahyaji Gobarji}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian police chiefs]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of India]]
[[Category:Indian prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Gujarat Police]]
[[Category:Gujarati people]]
[[Category:Hindu nationalists]]
[[Category:Chief ministership of Narendra Modi]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

D. G. Vanzara - Revision history

FerdinandGarden at 16:37, 2 January 2026