Lucknow, Aug 19(UNI) The judicial commission set up by Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the famous Bikru case of Kanpur has given a clean chit to the police team that killed notorious criminal Vikas Dubey in an encounter, here on Thursday
The Commission of Inquiry constituted under the chairmanship of Justice Dr B S Chauhan, retired Supreme Court judge, also admitted that Vikas Dubey and his gang had the protection of the revenue and administrative officials of the district besides the local police.
Vikas Dubey and his five associates were killed by the UP police in July, 2020 days after the gangster set up an ambush in which eight policemen were killed.
Vikas Dubey was being brought back to UP in a police convoy when he was shot dead. The police said the car in which Dubey was traveling flipped and he snatched a policeman's gun, tried to escape and opened fire when they shot him.
There is "no material evidence" to rebut the police version of the encounter but there is "sufficient material" to support it, the three-member inquiry panel has said in a report submitted to the UP government.
The report of the commission of inquiry was tabled by the state government in the assembly here on Thursday.
This judicial commission was set up to inquire into the killing of eight police personnel on July 2/3, 2020 in Bikru village and the subsequent killing of the accused involved in this massacre in a police encounter.
Retired High Court Justice Shashi Kant Agrawal and former UP DGP KL Gupta were members of the commission. The Commission of Inquiry has also made several important recommendations regarding police and judicial reforms in its 132-page inquiry report. Along with the report, factual material of 665 pages has also been submitted to the state government.
After examining all aspects of the Vikas Dubey encounter, the commission observed that no one, either public or media, came forward to refute the police's side of the story and the evidence related to the incident.
Richa Dubey, wife of the deceased Vikas Dubey, had given an affidavit calling the police encounter fake but she did not appear before the commission. Thus, story of the police in relation to the incident cannot be doubted. Similar findings were revealed in the magisterial inquiry as well.
Other highlights of the judicial report says that Vikas Dubey gang was protected by the local police and officials.
The officials of the local police station and revenue were in touch with the gang and were taking various facilities from them.
Due to police protection, Vikas Dubey's name was included in the list of top-10 criminals of the circle but was not in the list of top-10 criminals of the district while 64 criminal cases were registered against him. The gang members were also included by the police in peace committees formed to settle communal matters.
There was never a fair investigation in the cases registered against Vikas Dubey. Serious sections were dropped even before the chargesheet. During the trial in the court, witnesses kept turning hostile and Vikas Dubey and his gang members got bail easily.
The state government never even appealed to the higher courts for cancellation of his bail, the report said.
UNI MB ACL2232