Questioning Vikas Dubey encounter would demoralise cops: Sena

Shiv Sena on Friday backed the encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey by the Uttar Pradesh police. Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that he does not support any fake encounter,

Shiv Sena on Friday backed the encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey by the Uttar Pradesh police. Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that he does not support any fake encounter, but no questions should be raised on the encounter as it would demoralise the police.

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Dubey’s henchmen killed eight police policemen, including a deputy superintendent of police, on July 2 when they went to arrest the gangster in connection with an attempt to murder case. The gangster from Kanpur was arrested from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh on Thursday.

On Friday, while the convoy was on its way to Kanpur, it allegedly met with an accident in which one of the vehicles in the special task force (STF) overturned. The police said that Dubey tried to escape and snatched a weapon from one of the policemen. He then ran to a nearby field and was asked to surrender, which he refused to do, they added. There was an exchange of fire and he was killed, the police said.

Sena leader Raut said that the encounter was “bound to happen” and called it a “revenge” of the policemen for the martyrdom of the eight policemen. “I have never supported a fake encounter and will never do so. But if policemen are killed, if there is no fear of the police uniform, there would not be law and order in the country… When such an incident happens where policemen are killed, it impacts the image of the state. Then there is no other option left for the police and the government but to act in this manner against such a don. If this encounter is not backed, it would demoralise the police. No political party should take such a stand [opposing the encounter], Raut told TV reporters in Mumbai.

The Sena leader blamed the entire politics for the creation of goons like Dubey and no single party or government should be held responsible. He added that the killings of policemen in Kanpur would become a “matter of prestige” for any government. “Whether you call fake encounter or anything else, but the police always avenge the murder of their colleagues. The incident should not be politicised. It would demoralise the police,” he added. He added that a probe can be conducted to ascertain the facts on how Dubey fled UP and entered another state.

He dismissed the theories that Dubey was silenced in a fake encounter so that he does not name any key persons backing him. “I do not think so. The is revenge taken by the police. Every gangster has several secrets, why only Vikas Dubey. How many will you kill?” he said.