Encounters in UP: Police rewarded clean chit in 74 probes
He tried running after snatching a pistol, he fired at cops, we responded, and he was dead - these are the blanket statements echoed by all police officers in Uttar Pradesh who were involved with criminal Vikas Dubey's encounter. His extra-judicial death will now be investigated but history shows cops are rarely held accountable. In 74 recent probes, the police got a clean chit.
What happened to Vikas Dubey?
Dubey was a history-sheeter, wanted in at least 60 criminal cases. Last Friday, he planned a shootout in Kanpur's Bikru village which took the lives of eight cops, including a DSP. After nearly a week-long chase, he was arrested from Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain on Thursday. Yesterday morning, while he was being brought to UP, he was gunned down by police as he "tried fleeing."
Before Dubey, 118 accused were killed in "police cross-firing"
The events leading up to Dubey's death sparked several questions. The fact that he was in a different car than the one which police said overturned raised suspicion that it was a planned episode. In fact, media persons following the STF convoy were also stopped. Dubey is the 119th accused to die in "cross-firing" since March 2017, when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took office.
Notably, years ago SC said encounters must be investigated
In 2014, the Supreme Court, while hearing the People's Union for Civil Liberties v/s State of Maharashtra matter ordered that FIR registration is mandatory in encounters. "A magisterial inquiry must invariably be held in all cases of death which occur in the course of police action. The next of kin of the deceased must invariably be associated in such inquiry," the court had said.
There should be no qualms in booking cops, ordered SC
"In every case when a complaint is made against the police alleging commission of a criminal act on their part, which makes out a cognizable case of culpable homicide, an FIR to this effect must be registered under appropriate sections of the IPC," SC added.
UP followed SC's order, but rarely took police to task
Now, UP has followed the aforementioned directive but the outcome has been the same. In 74 probes, police were let off, a report in IE revealed. In as many as 61 cases, the court accepted closure reports. As per records, 6,145 operations have happened. 119 accused have died, and 2,258 were injured. And 13 cops, including the eight who died in Kanpur, passed away.
(Un)surprisingly, Adityanath's government sees encounters as "achievements"
As it turns out, the rampant encounters are celebrated by Adityanath's government. On Republic Day last year, a letter was sent to district magistrates (responsible for investigating encounters), saying that common man must be aware of this "achievement" of the state government. NHRC has issued at least three notices to UP government on encounters since 2017 but the matter is yet to make headway.
Meanwhile, probe into encounters of rape-accused in Hyderabad still underway
The penchant for "instant justice" isn't restricted to UP. In December last year, the top court said ex-SC judge VN Sirpurkar would independently investigate the deaths of four men, accused of raping a 26-year old veterinary doctor in Hyderabad. In a story similar to Dubey's, police said the accused were trying to run. More than six months later, the probe is still on.
