A three-member Supreme Court-appointed Commission found no suspicion or doubt about the police version of the events that led to the killing of gangster Vikas Dubey and other members of his gang in encounters after the Bikru ambush in Kanpur in July last year. The Commission gave a clean chit to the Uttar Pradesh government, stating that no evidence from the public or media was filed to rebut the police claim in the case.
The Bikru encounter was investigated by a three-member team headed by retired Supreme Court judge B S Chauhan. State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna tabled the report in the House.
Although the commission submitted the report in April this year, the Uttar Pradesh government tabled it in the House on Thursday. In their report, the panel recommended an inquiry against the “erring public servants” stating that there was enough evidence to suggest Dubey and his gang were patronised by local police, revenue and administrative officials.
Earlier in April 2021, it was reported that the inquiry commission led by Justice (Retd) BS Chauhan had given a clean chit to Uttar Pradesh Police in the encounter case of gangster Vikas Dubey and his aides. The commission did not find any evidence of wrongdoing. The Police force was accused of gunning down the gangster as revenge for eight policemen’s death in July 2020.
According to reports, the commission concluded the investigation in eight months and noted that there was no evidence against the UP police. During the investigation, the commission did not find any eyewitness accounts that could negate the version of events narrated by the Police that led to Dubey’s encounter.
Eight police personnel, including the deputy superintendent of police, were killed during a raid on Dubey’s house at Bikru village in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh on July 2-3, 2020.
Vikas Dubey encounter
In July 2020, Vikas Dubey and his men ambushed a police team in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh and killed eight police personnel. The Police team had gone to raid history-sheeter Dubey’s house. When the team reached close to his house at Bikaru Village, Dubey’s men started firing. Dubey escaped from the spot. Several Police teams were formed to catch Dubey and his associates. A week later, Dubey was arrested in Madhya Pradesh. While UP Police was bringing him back, the car they were travelling in overturned on the highway.
As per the police report, Dubey tried to escape from the spot and snatched a gun from injured police personnel. An encounter broke out on the road in which he was killed. Soon after reports of his death emerged in the media, the opposition parties launched an attack on the UP government, stating it was revenge killed. Congress raised several questions over the case and had asked how only one car in the convoy overturned.
