Batla House encounter genuine: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Jan 12 (IBNS) Snubbing his party leader Digvijaya Singh, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said the Batla House encounter of 2008 in New Delhi between terrorists and policemen was a genuine one and the case would not be reopened.

Calling the opinion of Digvijaya Singh on the encounter as a fake one a view of the Congress leader´s own, P Chidambaram said after taking over as the home minster he came to the conclusion that "the encounter was a genuine encounter."

"Every authority who has looked into it agreed that it was a genuine encounter," he said, adding that there is a difference of opinion but the matter as it stands today "there is no scope for reopening" the case.

Batla House encounter occurred on Sept 19 2008, against suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists in Batla House locality in Jamia Nagar, Delhi, in which two suspected terrorist, Atif Amin and Mohamed Sajid, two other suspects Mohd Saif and Zeeshan were arrested, while one accused Ariz Khan managed to escape.

Encounter specialist and Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who led the police action was also killed during the incident.

The arrests of local people after the encounter had triggered an outcry.