Hours before Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter from Uttar Pradesh with over 60 criminal cases against him, was killed in an alleged encounter while he was being taken to Kanpur on the Friday, 10 July, morning, a plea had been filed in the Supreme Court in order to get security cover for him.
The petitioner, lawyer Ghanshyam Upadhyay, had argued that Dubey, who was the main accused in the killing of eight policemen in a shoot-out in Kanpur last week, may be ‘killed in an encounter’.
The petition also sought a SC-monitored probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the killing of five of Dubey's aides as well as the demolition of his home, NDTV reported.
‘What The Cops Have Done is Also Shocking’
"The killing of eight cops on 2 July in Kanpur is undoubtedly an incident that shook the nation. It was alleged that Dubey and his gang members were involved... the incident should be condemned," Ghanshyam Upadhyay is heard saying in a video message, according to the NDTV report. Upadhyay then goes onto say that what the cops did after that was ‘also shocking’.
“Ours is a democratic country. Police should file complaint, investigate, collect evidence and file chargesheet in court. It is the judiciary's role to punish the accused after trial. In this case, the accused could have been given a death sentence. But chasing them to kill them in a so-called encounter is not the solution," he added.
"Murder charges should be slapped against those who are involved. We are trying that the petition is heard today. This is a serious matter," Upadhyay said, as per the report.
What Led to the ‘Encounter’
Dubey was killed in an alleged encounter when he tried to flee after a road accident, said Inspector General, Kanpur, Mohit Agarwal, reported news agency PTI.
“Gangster Vikas Dubey attempted to flee after the car overturned. The police tried to make him surrender, during which he fired at the policemen. He was injured in retaliatory firing by police. He was later rushed to the hospital (and was declared dead).”SP, Kanpur West, as quoted by ANI
Earlier, on Friday, ANI had reported that one of the vehicles part of the convoy of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) that was bringing back Dubey from Madhya Pradesh to Kanpur had overturned.
The gangster, who had a bounty of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was arrested in Ujjain on Thursday.
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