LUCKNOW: A local court on Thursday directed the Hazratganj police to lodge an FIR and investigate the police encounter of Girdhari Vishwakarma alias Kanhaiya alias Doctor, who was the prime accused in the murder of history-sheeter Ajit Singh in Gomtinagar, Lucknow, on January 6.
Girdhari, who was in three-day police custody, was gunned down on February 15 when he allegedly tried to escape after attacking a sub-inspector and a constable while he was being taken to Gomtinagar for the recovery of the weapon used to murder Ajit Singh.
Chief judicial magistrate Sushil Kumari issued the order on the petition of Girdhari’s lawyer, Sarvajeet Yadav, who alleged that the encounter was a part of a conspiracy to eliminate Girdhari.
“It is a matter of investigation if Girdhari was gunned down by the police in self-defence or the team exceeded its power of self-defence,” the CJM said.
“There are clear guidelines of the Supreme Court that in police encounters, FIR should be lodged and the entire incident has to be probed,” the court added.
Earlier, the complainant claimed that SHO Chandra Shekhar Singh and other cops killed Girdhari after a foolproof planning and out of a conspiracy. They also prepared official papers on the basis of false documentation to destroy evidence of his murder, he added.
“This all happened when Girdhari was in police custody on the basis of an order passed by the CJM herself,” the complainant added.
Talking to TOI, Lucknow police commissioner DK Thakur said, “We are analysing the court’s order and weighing all options, whether to lodge an FIR or challenge the order.”
According to cops, Girdhari (40) was being taken to a spot in Gomtinagar for the recovery of the pistol used in the murder of Ajit when he attacked the police team and tried to escape.
Police said that Girdhari, known as ‘Doctor’ in the world of crime, used to commit murders with surgical precision. He was named in 28 cases and a reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced on his arrest in December 2019 after he had murdered a bus conductor, Nitesh Singh aka Bablu, in Varanasi.