Encounter Cops Are New Executioners of Justice

It comes as no surprise to a few that Vikas Dubey, the dreaded gangster, was killed in an encounter near Kanpur by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force when he allegedly tried to escape when the car in which the police were taking him overturned.

This is a very familiar story. More on that later. According to reports, the encounter broke out after a police vehicle carrying Vikas Dubey from Ujjain to Kanpur met with an accident and the gangster tried to escape taking along with him a gun from a cop. Vikas suffered a few bullet shots and he later succumbed to his injuries.

Vikas is the main accused in the ambush and the killing of eight police personnel in the Kanpur encounter case. He was arrested from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday.

Vikas had claimed that he killed the cops because he feared that they would kill him in a stage-managed encounter. Ironically, that seems to have happened.

Killing gangsters in so-called encounters is slowly becoming a norm and the tit for tat retribution is also getting the approval of the people. Last year, IPS officer VS Sajjnar killed the four men who allegedly raped a young veterinary doctor on the outskirts of Hyderabad. He soon became a hero among the public. 11 years ago, the same officer had killed three men who were involved in an acid attack case in Warangal. Encounter cops are the new darlings.  

Activists have slammed such justice of the jungles. But then why are encounters gaining approval among the public?

Three reasons:

1.The courts are slow in dealing with such cases.

2.The already strained police force sometimes find it difficult to file a chargesheet within the mandatory 90-day period forcing courts to release the accused on bail.

3. Gangsters have deep political links and patronage. Vikas Dubey had cultivated a bunch of informers and protectors in the police force in UP.

Such stories are very familiar in the Hindi heartland where gangsters sometimes masquerade as politicians. Just look at the criminal records of lawmakers in the centre and states. That will tell a sordid story.

Watch some of the original videos on Amazon Prime or Hotstar. They reflect the mess in our system.