In search of 'true' justice

The death of Vikas Dubey is just as complicated as his life. For many years, Dubey, a gangster turned politician with a rather long criminal record, was considered untouchable. When he was arrested in July 2020 for the murder of eight UP policemen, he had over 60 criminal cases against him. The case that earned him his notoriety and public attention was the killing of Santosh Shukla, an influential BJP politician. Dubey had chased Shukla inside Shivli police station in Kanpur Dehat and murdered him in view of every cop in the station. Later, he turned himself over to the court, accompanied by many politicians, all in an effort to prevent the police from nabbing him for the murder and send a statement to the Shukla family who believed that justice would be done. It was not. The 25 cops who were all eyewitnesses to the murder suddenly turned hostile. Even the personal staff and close aides of Shukla gave statements in favour of Dubey. Needless to say, he was acquitted and allowed to walk free, this time with undenied pomp and clout. This killing had earned him political support and had also given him the means to continue his crime sprees, all without fear of meaningful reprisal. Thus, until 2020, Dubey's reign of carnage continued with a string of attempted murders and five recorded cases of murders committed by him. He targeted adversaries, he targeted those who had slighted him and targeted even those with whom he had minor disputes. All the while, he was acknowledged as a powerhouse in Kanpur, a gangster beyond reproach and an important factor in winning any local elections. He had also flirted with official power himself, contesting elections at the district level in 1995-96 as a BSP candidate. Later, he would claim to be the 'pradhan' of Bikru village and to have been a long time member of its zilla panchayat. The police had, at various times, attempted to bring down the gangster with everything from narcotics to extortion and attempted murder charged being levelled against him. In fact, one of the eight murdered policemen, Devendra Misra, the Deputy Superintendent had on multiple occasions attempted to draw his superior's attention to the connection Dubey had in the police station and local politician circles and how this nexus had allowed Dubey to walk free despite the number of cases registered against him. As it turned out, during the fated July 3, 2020, attempt by the local police to arrest Dubey, a sub-inspector was involved, among others, in tipping off Dubey who arranged an ambush. Dubey's control over the situation is highlighted by how he had arranged for a blackout of his village during the time so that an alleged 60 of his associates had an easier time of ambushing the 30-odd cops who had come to arrest him. Many of the cops were shot but Devendra Misra alone was hacked to death with an axe.

So began, a manhunt which ended days later with Dubey being shot multiple times as he allegedly attempted to escape the STF (Special Task Force) unit that had nabbed him outside Mahakal Temple in Ujjain. The sequence of events points to Dubey attempting an escape when the vehicle that was carrying him met an accident outside Kanpur on account of heavy rain. As the vehicle carrying him overturned, Dubey, grabbed a pistol and ran for the nearest field. When the police caught up to him, he refused to surrender and presumably attacked his pursuers, at which point the police shot him in self-defence. This was the version of events presented to the nation, a version that has not gone down well with the opposition, needless to say. While a few celebrated the death of the reviled gangster, much of the discourse divided itself on whether Dubey had been silenced to protect those that had granted him favour previously. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has demanded a judicial probe into the supposed encounter with a Supreme Court judge being involved in the probe. Others have followed suit in raising doubts. Leaders from TMC and even BSP leader Mayawati have called for a similar Supreme Court probe into the full details of the case, worried that encounter justice is being used as a convenient tool in the current political scenario. Some such as Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav have been even blunter in outrightly stating that the official version of events regarding the encounter have been falsified to protect the Government. Still others have refused to question the events of the encounter on grounds of the heinous crime that led up to it, a justification given by the Shiv Sena in support of UP police.

To a certain level, opinions regarding the encounter have followed the political line. It is also quite clear that quest to whatever 'truth' is to be found in this situation will not end up satisfying every concerned party and that speculations regarding the case will continue for some time.