Kanpur ambush: UP DGP told to take action against over 30 cops

Lucknow, November 21

The Uttar Pradesh government has directed the state DGP to initiate action against over 30 police personnel for laxity leading to the Kanpur ambush, in which eight policemen were killed by henchmen of gangster Vikas Dubey in July this year.

In a letter to the DGP earlier this month, the government directed for punishment to 14 policemen. The government said eight of them, including the then Chaubepur SHO, Vinay Tewari, be given exemplary punishment.

The government also asked to take disciplinary action against 23 other policemen after a proper inquiry by an official deputed by the ADG Lucknow/Kanpur, according to the letter.

Last week, the state government had suspended the then Kanpur police chief, Anant Dev, after an SIT probe pointed at a nexus between police and gangster now slain gangster Vikas Dubey.

“Anant Dev has been suspended. The action has been taken on the basis of an SIT report,” Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi had stated.

Eight policemen were ambushed at Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur as they headed there to arrest Dubey shortly after midnight on July 2.

Dubey was shot dead by police on July 10 when he was allegedly trying to escape from their custody while being brought back to Kanpur after his arrest in Ujjain.

A three-member SIT formed to probe the ambush of policemen pointed at a nexus between police and the slain gangster, officials said.

The SIT handed over a 3,500-word report to the state government , recommending action against police personnel and administration officials.

It submitted 36 recommendations, giving details of the alleged role of some officers and 80 police personnel in the Kanpur episode.

It came to the fore that policemen used to alert Dubey and on the night of the ambush, he was aware that a police team was coming to Bikru, a senior officer had said.

The SIT findings also referred to the alleged negligence of police in taking action against Dubey, against whom several criminal cases were pending.

Sources said the SIT report also mentioned the alleged police failure in securing the conviction of Dubey and his men in cases lodged against them.

The report accused personnel posted at the Kanpur’s Chaubeypur police station and senior officers of negligence, sources said.

The SIT analysed Dubey’s mobile phone records going back up to a year and found that some policemen were in regular touch with him, they said.

The government constituted the SIT led by Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Bhoosreddy, with Additional DG Hari Ram Sharma and DIG Ravinder Goud as its members, on July 11.

The SIT was initially asked to submit its report by July 31 after looking into all angles, studying related documents and conducting inspections in Kanpur. The deadline was later extended by the government. — PTI

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