Vikas Dubey death: Congress demands judicial probe by sitting SC judge

Gangster Vikas Dubey, accused of shooting dead eight policemen in Kanpur’s Bikru village, was killed on Friday morning.

July 10, 2020 09:12 am | Updated July 12, 2020 09:17 pm IST

A spent bullet lies near the encounter site where Prabhat, an aide of gangster Vikas Dubey, was killed, at Panki near Kanpur on July 9, 2020

A spent bullet lies near the encounter site where Prabhat, an aide of gangster Vikas Dubey, was killed, at Panki near Kanpur on July 9, 2020

Gangster Vikas Dubey was killed 'while trying to flee custody' on Friday after a police vehicle carrying him met with an accident, according to Uttar Pradesh police.

Here are the latest updates from the incident, and how politicians, journalists and others reacted.

 

Congress demands judicial probe by sitting SC judge

The Congress demanded a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the entire episode involving Dubey to bring out the truth about those who had granted protection to him and the alleged political-criminal nexus in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said at a press conference that the killing of the gangster in an encounter raises several questions and sought answers on who were the people sitting in echelons of power who were granting protection to criminals like him.

“Congress demands that the unholy nexus between organised crime and the ilk of Vikas Dubey with those sitting in the echelons of power be probed by a sitting Supreme Court judge,” Mr. Surjewala said at a press conference.

- PTI

 

Mayawati seeks SC-monitored probe

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Friday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the killing of gangster Vikas Dubey. She wanted the inquiry to cover the killing of eight policemen last week in an ambush allegedly masterminded by Dubey.

“There should be an unbiased probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court into the killing of policemen in Kanpur and the encounter of main accused Vikas Dubey while he was trying to flee when the police vehicle overturned,” Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.

In a separate tweet, she said, “This high-level probe is necessary for ensuring justice to eight policemen killed in Kanpur and to identify the nexus between police and criminal political elements. By such steps, UP can become crime free.”

 

Criminal has gone, but what about those protecting him: Priyanka

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday took a swipe at the UP government over the killing of gangster Vikas Dubey, saying while the criminal has gone, what about those protecting him.

In a tweet in Hindi, the Congress leader said, “The criminal has gone, but what about the crime and those protecting him."

The Congress general secretary had also accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of “complete failure” in handling the Kanpur ambush case in which eight policemen were killed.

She had alleged that the chain of events in the case exposed the chinks in security and hinted at collusion.

 

Who would believe such an improbable story, asks former top cop Asthana

Former DGP, Kerala, N.C. Asthana picks holes in Uttar Pradesh Police's encounter story. Taking to Twiiter, Dr. Asthana wrote: "Vikas Dubey killed? Really? The same stupid story, which they had for his aide Mishra. Tried to snatch weapon and run away! Only difference in script this time--the car overturned! Who in the world would believe in such an improbable story? That confirms--COVER UP COMPLETE NOW!"

 

Petition filed against 'fake encounters' in SC

Prior to Dubey's killing, the police had shot dead five of his aides and accomplices in encounters in the past few days.

As a reaction to this, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court over the 'fake encounters' of the five men by the Uttar Pradesh police. The petition is filed by advocate and petitoner-in-person Ghanshyam Upadhyay. He has sought an urgent hearing in the matter.

 

Govt.'s secrets safe, says Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's inital reaction to the incident was via Twitter. Without naming Dubey, Mr. Yadav said that the government's secrets have been saved.

"The car hasn’t overturned but the government has been saved from being overturned because of secrets," he wrote on Twitter.

 

'Job of the court to deliver justice'

Trinamool Congress leader and MP Mahua Moitra said that the job of the police is to deliver the accused to the courts.

"It is the job of the courts to deliver justice. It is the job of the police to deliver the accused. Shocking that India under BJP has confused the two,” she wrote on Twitter.

Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha said "Vikas Dubey deserved to die, but by hanging to death on orders of court and not at the hands of police. However justified their anger, has UP Govt lost faith in its cri[minal] justice delivery system? His access pics with top leaders despite his long criminal history shocking.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted: "Dead men tell no tales. #VikasDubey"

 

Journalist and author Rana Ayyub took to Twitter to react to the encounter.

“Speaks volumes of the criminal justice system in India and its dirty nexus with politics when people of the country predict an encounter hours before it actually takes place,” she wrote.

 

Congress leaders react

Congress leaders Shama Mohamed and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to Twitter to react to the encounter.

"Senior police officers say #VikasDubey could have strategised his arrest to avoid being 'encountered'. It then makes no sense that he tried to flee. Dubey had strong political connections. Was he killed to ensure that he wouldn't reveal their names," wrote Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed on Twitter.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a tweet in Hindi, asked: "The criminal has been eliminated but what about those who gave protection to him and his crimes?"

 

Reacting to the incident, CPI (ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya called for a judicial probe into the Kanpur shooting.

"Constitutional democracy in India cannot see the #VikasDubey 'encounter' as closure of the Kanpur killing of ten policemen. There are too many pressing questions crying out for honest, credible answers. Let there be a judicial probe headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court," he wrote on Twitter.

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