The encounter killing of gangster Vikas Dubey on Friday morning triggered sharp attacks by most of the opposition parties. Politicians took it to twitter raising suspicion over the incident and attacked UP government, MP government and the respective police with questions. The Congress and the BSP also sought judicial probe by a Supreme Court judge into the incident to expose the alleged political-criminal nexus in Uttar Pradesh.
The opposition parties also alleged that the gangster was killed to protect the UP government.
Former chief minister Kamal Nath on Friday took it to the twitter raise few questions on the incident. Taking it to the micro-blogging site, Nath raised suspicion over entry of Vikas Dubey in the state. In his tweet, he said, "Lord Mahakal never spared any sinner, I said this yesterday also and I am repeating again today that no sinner will be saved from the eyes of Mahakal. The story of notorious gangster Vikas Dubey came to an end but many questions remain unanswered.
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti praised the Uttar Pradesh Police for the alleged encounter killing of gangster Vikas Dubey, adding that Lord Shiva took the life of 'demon' Dubey for killing an honest police officer like (Circle Officer) Devendra Mishra.
However, she still looked mysterious over three things -- How did he reach Ujjain? For how long did he remain in the Mahakaal Temple in Ujjain? Why did it take so long to recognise him when he could have easily been found out in CCTV footage?
She said that she would have a word on these issues with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the Home Minister.
Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Friday said that the encounter killing of gangster Vikas Dubey was predicted by many persons and questioned if it was done to cover up his alleged political links. "Killed in an encounter. Predicted by many, wilful incompetence. Or, is it a conspiracy to destroy evidence linking Vikas to certain parties and individuals?".”Commission to investigate politician-police-criminal nexus in UP," the Supreme Court lawyer added.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the car did not topple but it was to save the government from toppling, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted "dead men tell no tales #VikasDubey".
"Darasal ye car nahi palti, raj khulne se sarkar palatne se bachai gayi hai," (Actually, the car did not topple. The government has been saved from toppling if secrets were revealed)," Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.
However, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut wondered why the police action was being questioned, and said there was no need to shed tears over the killing of a gangster.
Alleging that Uttar Pradesh has become synonymous with 'goondaraj' and criminals like Dubey were allowed to move around freely in the state, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the killing of the gangster in an encounter raises several questions and sought answers on who were the people sitting in echelons of power who were granting protection to criminals like him.
"Congress demands that the unholy nexus between organised crime and the ilk of Vikas Dubey with those sitting in the echelons of power be probed by a sitting Supreme Court judge," Surjewala said at a press conference.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday took a swipe at the UP government over the encounter saying while the criminal has gone, what about those protecting him. In a tweet, the Congress leader said, "The criminal has gone, but what about the crime and those protecting him. She had earlier demanded a CBI probe to ascertain the facts about the "grant of protection" to Dubey.The Congress general secretary had also accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of "complete failure" in handling the Kanpur ambush case in which eight policemen were killed. She had alleged that the chain of events in the case exposed the chinks in security and hinted at collusion.
Raising similar questions, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted, "What was suspected has happened. Now, it will not be known which political leaders, police and other government officials was Vikas Dubey in contact with. In the last 3-4 days, two aides of Vikas Dubey have also died in encounters, but why is the pattern of the three encounters same?
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary also slammed the BJP government over the "encounter rule" in the state and urged all the judges to resign. "After Vikas Dubey's encounter, all the judges of the country should resign. There is no need of court in BJP's encounter rule," Chaudhary said in a series of tweets. "All this drama has been created to save the real culprits of killing eight policemen," the RLD leader said in another tweet.
RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha also criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the encounter saying the "black truth" of the entire "syndicate" has also been "encountered" along with Dubey. "If the news of the Vikas Dubey death in the encounter is true, then accept that the black truth of the entire syndicate has also been encountered. The system has saved itself from being naked. How the story is so simple from yesterday's visuals of Mahakal temple to the story till today morning. Proceed with this as the final truth (sic)," Jha tweeted.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the encounter killing of gangster, and wanted the inquiry to cover the killing of eight policemen last week in an ambush allegedly masterminded by Dubey.
"There should be an unbiased probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court into the killing of policemen in Kanpur and the encounter of main accused Vikas Dubey while he was trying to flee when the police vehicle overturned," Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.
She further tweeted that "This high-level probe is necessary for ensuring justice to eight policemen killed in Kanpur and to identify the nexus between police and criminal political elements. By such steps, UP can become crime free.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also tweeted an Urdu couplet to take a swipe at the UP government, saying that the silence of a person has kept the respect of many questions. However, he did not mention the encounter.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said there was no need to shed tears over the killing of gangster Vikas Dubey in an encounter and wondered why the police action was being questioned.
Dubey was shot dead by the Uttar Pradesh police on the outskirts of Kanpur city on Friday morning. The police claimed that he was trying to flee after the car carrying him from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh overturned at Bhaunti in Kanpur district.
Talking to PTI, Raut said, "Dubey had killed eight policemen. Attack on the uniform means there is no law and order. Taking strict action is the need of that states police be it in Maharashtra or Uttar Pradesh."
"There is no need to shed tears over the killing of Dubey in an encounter. Why is the police action being questioned?" the Rajya Sabha MP asked.
TMC leader Mahua Moitra came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh government, saying justice is the "only thing killed" in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's "encounter raj". "It is the job of the courts to deliver justice. It is the job of the police to deliver the accused. Shocking that India under BJP has confused the two," Moitra said in a tweet. "Only thing killed in Yogiji's "encounter Raj" is justice!" she added.
Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav alleged that the police's claim of killing Dubey in an encounter seems to be "fake" as he could have disclosed many big "secrets".
"This encounter (killing) of Vikas Dubey seems to be fake and straight out of a film. This is an illegal way. This man could have disclosed many big secrets like who sheltered him... Those who sheltered him are as much to blame as Vikas Dubey and the country needed to know them," Yadav said.
Gangster Vikas Dubey was shot dead Friday by police, who claimed he was trying to flee after the car carrying him from Ujjain overturned on an isolated stretch of the highway on the outskirts of the city. The car was part of a small convoy of police vehicles.
Police also said the gangster snatched a pistol from one of the policemen injured in the accident and was shot when he opened fire while trying to flee, an account being questioned by opposition parties.
Six policemen, including two from the Special Task Force, were hurt in the accident and the exchange of fire around 6 am, an official said.
Dubey was the sixth man to die in a police encounter after the ambush he allegedly masterminded in Kanpur's Bikru village past midnight on July 2, killing eight policemen who had come to arrest him.
Madhya Pradesh police arrested Vikas Dubey outside the Mahakal temple in Ujjain on Thursday morning and was later handed over to a police team from the UP.
