Gangster Vikas Dubey’s killing triggers furore
lucknow — Indian police shot dead one of the country’s most wanted gangsters on Friday just a day after his dramatic arrest, sparking accusations of a staged extra-judicial killing.
Officials said Vikas Dubey, detained for the killing of eight police officers, was shot as he tried to escape a police vehicle while being driven to his home city in Uttar Pradesh.
Dubey, in his 40s, had given himself up in the central town of Ujjain on Thursday after a weeklong search. He was being driven in a police convoy to Kanpur where the eight police officers were killed.
Within hours of TV stations carrying images of his bloodstained body lying in a hospital, rights lawyers and activists alleged that police had killed Dubey to prevent him revealing his connections with powerful people.
“This is the most blatant case of extra-judicial killing. Dubey was a gangster terrorist who may have deserved to die. But (Uttar Pradesh) police have killed him to shut his mouth,” Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan wrote on Twitter.
“Will we allow police to kill anyone without a court trial?” Utsav Bains, another Supreme Court lawyer, added.
Senior opposition Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi said the people “protecting” Dubey were still free.
Dubey, aged about 50, was accused in more than 60 murders, attempted murders and other cases. He was said to have shot dead an Uttar Pradesh state minister inside a police station in 2001.
Despite those cases and his
reputation for ruthlessness, Dubey has built considerable local political links over the past two decades.
On July 3, eight officers were gunned down when Dubey’s gang staged an ambush on a police team aiming to arrest him.
A nationwide manhunt was launched, during which five of Dubey’s associates — including his bodyguard nephew — were killed.
The gang leader finally gave himself up in a temple in Madhya Pradesh state on Thursday.
According to the police account, the car taking him to Kanpur early on Friday overturned on a wet road and he tried to escape.
“Dubey has been killed in an exchange of fire after he snatched the pistol of our men and tried to flee after firing at them. Four of our men are also injured,” Kanpur police inspector general Mohit Agarwal told reporters.
Nirjhari Sinha, founder of a civil rights organisation in Gujarat state, said his death had revived memories of staged killings there.
“History repeats,” she wrote on Twitter. “Dead gangsters can’t speak about their political patronage.” —
Dubey has been killed in an exchange of fire after he snatched the pistol of our men and tried to flee after firing at them. Four of our men are also injured Mohit Agarwal
Inspector-general of police
Basically the car did not overturn, but the government has been saved from being overturned. The car overturned and Vikas Dubey tried to run. If he had to run, then why would he surrender. The secret is very deep Akhilesh Yadav
Former UP CM