Culprit killed, what about those who gave patronage: Priyanka

The opposition parties on Friday slammed the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over the encounter of dreaded gangster Vikas Dubey, while being brought back to the state from Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took a swipe at the Yogi Adityanath government over the encounter and questioned what will happen to those who gave patronage in this case. "The culprit has been killed but what about crime and people who gave patronage?" Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet.

Raising similar questions, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted in Hindi, "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?

"It is necessary to find out why Vikas Dubey chose Ujjain Mahakal temple in Madhya Pradesh for surrender? Who is the most influential person of Madhya Pradesh he trusted to escape the encounter of Uttar Pradesh Police?" said Singh in his tweet.

Former Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav also took to twitter and wrote, "Actually, his car has not overturned, but the government has been saved from turning over the secret."

His remarks came soon after Dubey died on Friday morning after being critically injured in an alleged shootout with the STF officials on Friday morning near Kanpur. The gangster was shot when he reportedly tried to flee, following a road accident in which the vehicle he was travelling in overturned near Kanpur. Dubey was taken to the emergency ward of the Hallett Hospital. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kanpur Dinesh Kumar said that the doctors have confirmed the death of Vikas Dubey.


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.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (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.

According to reports, as the convoy bringing Dubey from Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain reached the Bhauti area under the Barra police circle in Kanpur on Friday morning, the vehicle in which Vikas was seated, overturned after skidding on the road due to heavy rain.

Dubey, along with two other police personnel in the vehicle, was injured in the accident. As soon as the gangster was taken out of the vehicle, he allegedly snatched a pistol from the STF team and tried to fire at the police. He was fatally injured in retaliatory firing. Dubey received a bullet injury in the chest which proved fatal. Five members of the Dubey gang have been killed in police encounters over the past seven days.