Vikas Dubey, a small-time criminal with big political connections and ambitions was shot dead in an encounter on 10 July 2020, by Uttar Pradesh police.
Who was Vikas Dubey?
Born in Bikaru village in Uttar Pradesh, Vikas Dubey was a gangster turned politician. He was the most feared goon with 60 criminal cases like murder, robbery, kidnapping, illegal land acquisition, criminal intimidation registered against him. The dreaded gangster was declared an absconder by the U.P police with a bounty of 5 lakhs. Also known as Vikas Pandit, because of his inclination towards the name of pandit. He used to love when someone referred to him as panidtji, because of his fondness for the character “Arjun Pandit” played by Sunny Deol in 1999 thriller gangster drama film Arjun Pandit. He was involved in criminal activities from his youth days. Due to his involvement in many criminal activities, Dubey took no time in becoming the most wanted criminal in Kanpur. The name of Vikas Dubey surfaced in the crime scene of Kanpur around the early 1990s when the first case of murder was registered against. Since then, there was no stopping to him and he continued to commit crimes and murders under the nose of Uttar Pradesh administration. Despite several proofs and eyewitnesses present at the crime scene, he was always acquitted due to the political pressure exerted by his strong political connections. He joined the Bahujan Samaj Party in the mid-1990s and contested local district elections. He was the most feared criminal in the political circle too, every M.P, MLA, or any big or small minister or political leader feared him. His life too was controversial and dramatic, just like his encounter.
The rise of Vikas Dubey
Vikas Dubey was born to a farmer Ram Kumar Dubey and his wife Sarla, in a middle-class family. Influenced by the world of cinema, he always dreamed of becoming a big man. Since his college days he came into contact with some political leaders who used him for their own political gains. Unknown to the world, until he came into limelight due to the July 3 killing of 8 policemen, Vikas Dubey has a long controversial history which dates back to the early 1990s. He was so feared in the village, that people use to shiver hearing his name and would flee the village leaving behind their homes and land. At the age of 25, he committed his first murder and a case was lodged against him. Very soon he became popular and came in good books of the big political leaders who sensed his potential and bravery. Later he was wooed by many political parties like the Bhartiya Janta Party and Samajwadi Party. He joined the Bahujan Samaj Party but remained friends with the leaders of other parties as well.
Political career
Both Vikas Dubey and his wife Richa Dubey joined the Bahujan Samaj Party in the year 1995 and won the local body elections. He had big political ambitions but due to his criminal activities, it was limited to local elections only. He and his family firmly controlled the panchayat elections and decided the outcome of many elections by forcefully deploying the force and using the power of his goons. He influenced the selection of candidates and made sure they won by force or by threatening the people. Nobody dared to go against him, not even the police. Many newly elected M.P’s and M.L.A could visit him after getting elected just to seek his blessings. He even fought elections from jail thanks to his political clout and close affiliation with the police department. He even plotted and executed crimes and murders from inside the jail. Though he joined the Bahujan Samaj Party, he frequently changed political parties. He was also associated with the Bhartiya Janta Party and the Samajwadi Party. But, due to his frequent jail visits and criminal cases, every other party denied their association with him.
Cases and involvement in other Crimes
Right from a very young age, Vikas Dubey has been a notorious criminal, who never feared the police and administration. Till date, total 60 cases are registered against him, but he always managed to escape the clutches of the law. He was involved in political murders too. He was the prime accused in the 2001 murder of Santosh Shukla, who was a minister of state. He was not convicted due to lack of evidence. It was more shocking to know that the murder took place inside the shivli police station and not a single policeman testified against him and thus he managed to escape again. This was political pressure or his fear, that despite so much proof and eye witnesses, he was not convicted. He was accused of murdering, Dinesh Dubey a businessman in 2004, Sidheshwar Pandey, a manager at Tarachand inter-college in Kanpur in 2000 and is also accused in the murder of his cousin Anurag Dubey in 2018. He and his family were involved in the real estate business. The murders committed were mainly due to rivalry and enmity in the business. Recently on 3 July 2020, he was responsible for the killing of 8 policemen who went to arrest him.
Controversial end of a Dramatic Don
Though he was the most feared gangster in U.P, the name Vikas Dubey was unknown to the world. Nobody was aware of him and his crimes, until the incident of 3 July 2020. A police team went to arrest Vikas Dubey at his residence in Bikru village 3 July 2020. The Station house office of Chaubeypur police station already tipped him about the police action. As a result, Vikas Dubey was fully alert and prepared to attack the police team which was coming to nab him. He and his henchmen opened the fire, gunning down 8 policemen, including a Dsp, in the wee hours of Friday 3 July 2020. Two of his accomplices were killed in an encounter and Dayashankar Agnihotri, his close aide was arrested. Vinay Tiwari, SHO of the Chaubeypur police station was suspended along with other three officers for tipping off Vikas Dubey. This incident didn’t go down well with U.P police and administration. U.P police quickly changed the gears and started hunting down close aides of Vikas Dubey by resorting to encounter killings. Four of his close associates were shot dead in different encounters while 8 of them arrested.
Vikas Dubey managed to flee to Ujjain Madhya Pradesh. Every move of his was being monitored and the extensive media coverage made him more famous than ever. He went to the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain. He revealed his identity by shouting his name and the people around alerted the Madhya Pradesh, police who quickly swung into action and arrested Vikas Dubey on July 9, 2020. The Madhya Pradesh police handed Vikas Dubey to the Uttar Pradesh police on 99 July itself. After struggling for over a week, the U.P police managed to arrest Vikas Dubey and he was transported back to Kanpur in a vehicle. According to the police, the vehicle in which Vikas Dubey was being transported back overturned, and Vikas Dubey snatched a pistol from a policeman and was trying to escape. Police retaliated back and killed Vikas Dubey in a cold-blooded encounter on 10 July 2020.
Conclusion
This is clearly a case of a fake encounter by the U.P police. Looks like a scripted Bollywood movie. It even exposes the motive of the U.P police. This encounter questions the credibility of the U.P police and its administration. Why police never managed to prove his involvement in any case? How he escaped despite over 60 cases registered against him. There are many questions that need to be answered. The central government needs to probe the incident. Time has come for the center to enact a law regarding encounter killings.
Yukti Kumar @ Samacharline
