Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter, was a resident of a village named Bikru in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. He was responsible for various criminal activities like murder and ‘land grabbing’ since his youth. He had 62 criminal cases pending against him, 8 of murder including 5 of ‘attempt to murder’.
The first case was filed against him in 1990 for murder. Vikas Dubey got into the light and gained political support mainly since 2001 when he killed an Uttar Pradesh Minister of State, Santosh Shukla in broad daylight by chasing him inside the Shivli Police station in Kanpur Dehat. He used force to stay in gram panchayat as the Pradhan for many years. Also, his wife, Richa Dubey was an elected member of the district panchayat because of his polished ties with various politicians. He was said to have allies in BJP, BSP, and SP currently who, after the incident, denied having any connection with the notorious gangster.
Vikas Dubey’s ‘diabolical act’ stood in front of everyone on July 3, when eight policemen including a Deputy Superintendent of Police who went to arrest him were ambushed by him and his accomplices. He got to know about the news of the attempt of his arrest and the cop’s arrival through some dishonest cops earlier itself. The next day his house was demolished with a bulldozer. Despite this, Dubey escaped easily, crossed four state lines and was finally apprehended on July 9 on his visit to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh wherein he kept shouting his name after being caught. In less than 24 hours, he was encountered by the cops on the highway when he was being taken back to Kanpur from Ujjain. The story put out is that the car in which Dubey was being taken toppled due to a herd of cattle that came in its way on the rain-drenched highway. Dubey snatched a gun from a cop and started firing so as to flee from the custody. In retaliation, the police fired back.
The enigmatic encounter story of Vikas Dubey that is put out in front of everyone is being considered a proper ‘staged drama’. Dubey’s encounter happened so as to bar him from speaking any truth vis-à-vis the various bureaucrats involved in his journey of the three decades of crime. It would reveal the actual ‘criminalization of political system’ that is being operated quite efficiently, especially in Uttar Pradesh, one of the most impoverished states of India.
Various questions are being raised on Dubey’s case. He was the most wanted criminal in UP. He was acquitted the maximum times because of his political reach. How could he go without being caught for 30 years? Why wasn’t he arrested right after the first crime he committed? He had his choice of surrender and arrest and of escaping through four state lines before being arrested in MP. This points out the dysfunctional system wherein, all politicians care about is building a huge vote bank and exercising power even if it requires giving patronage to the criminals.
The media vehicles were stopped at the Toll plaza, 5km away from the spot of Dubey’s encounter which is quite suspicious. Regarding his death, why wasn’t he restrained through handcuffs? How could the UP policemen be so irresponsible with their weapons that enabled Dubey to easily snatch them? Is extrajudicial killing i.e ‘killing without undergoing any trial’ allowed in our country? In Prabhat Mishra’s (a henchman of Dubey) killing, the vehicle got punctured and in Dubey’s case, it toppled. Is this really a mere coincidence? Many people from opposition political parties have raised the need for a proper inquiry into the matter.
After Vikas Dubey’s death, many people in UP are expressing their views that Dubey was meant to be killed because he was a criminal and the judiciary would have taken a long time to provide justice. They’re praising the UP government and the cops for putting an end to the dreadful criminal. In such a case, the definition of ‘Justice’ gets arbitrarily defined due to our desire for ‘instant justice’.
Vikas Dubey should not have been killed, he should have been given punishment for long time, even for life. He should have been brought in front of everyone so as to reveal those names who are determined at puncturing the element of democracy in our nation for the sake of power.
