The saga of Vikas Dubey | HT Editorial, National : Today Indya

The saga of Vikas Dubey | HT Editorial

National

The Hindu

Let his arrest be the beginning, not the end of the story

Vikas Dubey — who led an attack on police officials, killing eight and injuring another seven, when they had gone to nab him in a Kanpur village last week — has finally been arrested. His story, and the story of the search for him, is a tale of the corrosive political culture of Uttar Pradesh, the mockery of the rule of law in much of the Indian hinterland, and the close — and ever deepening interlinkages — between politics and crime.

The fact that Dubey has got away for so long is a reflection of the manner in which the political and administrative machine has worked in many parts of India. As the political scientist Milan Vaishnav has persuasively argued, those with criminal antecedents have the finances to enter the political fray, ensuring supply; their reputation as those who can “deliver” to constituents, in the backdrop of a patronage based political system, enhances the demand for them. Dubey clearly had close political links — and must have performed useful services for politicians — which ensured that he was protected. But how can a political dispensation protect a criminal? That is where the broken law and order machinery comes in. Till there are police reforms in India — ensuring autonomy to the police force, and insulating them from political pressures — local authorities will seek their own slice of the cake and be a part of this nexus. Regimes will change, but that will only change the nature, and in UP’s case, the caste-profile of criminals — crime will persist.

The general consensus is that Dubey went too far this time — and no political regime can now protect him without political costs. He must, indeed, be brought to justice for the long and heinous list of crimes he has allegedly committed. But that cannot be the end of the story. His arrest must mark the beginning of a broader investigation into the trend of gang lords thriving with impunity, trigger a much needed process to change electoral incentives and tackle the criminalisation of politics, lead to the creation of a criminal justice system which can act independent of partisan pressures, and bring about a qualitative change in the political-security environment of UP. That will be true justice for the citizens in the state.

Article Original Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/the-saga-of-vikas-dubey-ht-editor...

Kanpur gangster Vikas Dubey arrested for killing 8 cops shot dead in encounter

National

Hindustan Times

Vikas Dubey was being brought back to Kanpur after he was nabbed in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain. The vehicle they were in overturned when the gangster tried to escape.

Uttar Pradesh gangster Vikas Dubey was on Friday shot dead by the police after he tried to escape following an accident involving one of the vehicles in the Special Task Force (STF) cavalcade bringing him back to the state from Madhya Pradesh.

STF officials said there was an encounter as Vikas Dubey, arrested for killing eight policemen on July 3, tried to escape when the vehicle overturned early in the morning.

They said Vikas Dubey snatched a weapon from one of the policemen after the accident. 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, they said.

“After being chased by the police team, he was asked to surrender but he did not and started firing with the intention of killing them. The police team fired back in self-defence after which Vikas Dubey was injured. He was taken to a hospital, where he died during treatment,” Kanpur Police said in a statement.

Dubey was being brought back to Kanpur after he was nabbed in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain city outside a temple.

The STF vehicle overturned following heavy rains in the region near Kanpur’s Sachendi area. Four policemen were also injured in the accident.

The men, including an inspector, have been admitted to the nearest community health centre for treatment.

Vikas Dubey was arrested outside a temple in Ujjain on Thursday, ending a manhunt for a fugitive behind one of the deadliest attacks on policemen in recent years.

The July 3 shoot-out exposed alleged collusion within Uttar Pradesh police as the force later realised that their men had walked into a trap because some other police officials tipped off Dubey about an attempt to arrest him.

A deputy superintendent of police, three sub-inspectors and four constables were killed, some of whom hacked to death, in the failed raid to nab Vikas Dubey.

Police in Uttar Pradesh have killed at least five of his accomplices, who were involved in the attack, demolished his sprawling bungalow, and arrested at least a dozen people, including his wife and son, and policemen who aided his escape and shelter.

They increased the bounty on his head from Rs 50,000 last week to Rs 5 lakh as he was on the run.

Article Original Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kanpur-gangster-vikas-dubey-arres...