Probe panel gives clean chit to U.P. police in Vikas Dubey encounter case

The three-member inquiry commission is headed by former Supreme Court judge B. S.Chauhan submitted its reported to the state government on April 19, eight months after it was set up.

STF and Forensic teams re-enact the events leading to the encounter of slain gangster Vikas Dubey, as part of ongoing investigation of the case, in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. File photo

The three-member inquiry commission probing the encounter killings of gangster Vikas Dubey and five of his alleged associates has given a clean chit to Uttar Pradesh Police because of lack of evidence, sources said on Wednesday.

The commission is headed by former Supreme Court judge B.S.Chauhan. The other two members are former Allahabad High Court judge Sashi Kant Agrawal and former UP Director General of Police K.L.Gupta.

The panel submitted its reported to the state government on Monday, eight months after it was set up.

"Yes the commission has submitted its report to the state government on Monday. A copy of the report will be submitted in the Supreme court also," Mr. Gupta said.

He, however, did not elaborate on the contents of the report.

Asked about it, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi said, "I would not like to comment on it." According to the sources, the inquiry commission has found no evidence of wrongdoing by the state police.

Speaking to PTI, a senior police official said, "No witnesses came forward to challenge the police claims even after advertisements in newspapers and media. Also, no one from the media came forward to get their versions recorded." There were, however, witnesses supporting the police version, he added.

On July 3 last year, eight policemen were killed in an ambush in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Vikas Dubey.

Police later killed Prem Prakash Pandey (55) and Atul Dubey (35) in an encounter in Kanpur on July 3.

On July 8, Amar Dubey (30), who carried a reward of ₹50,000 on him, was killed in an encounter in Maudaha village in Hamirpur district.

On July 9, Praveen Dubey, alias Bauwa (48), and Prabhat, alias Kartikeya (28), were killed in separate encounters in Etawah and Kanpur districts.

Six PILs were filed in the Supreme Court after this to seek a court-monitored probe into the encounter killings .

The apex court had then on July 22, 2020 approved the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to institute the inquiry commission.