Some ex-Mumbai cops hail 'encounter killing' of gangster Dubey

Some former police officials from Mumbai on Friday praised the Uttar Pradesh Police over the killing of notorious gangster Vikas Dubey in an encounter, saying that the action was "much needed" to keep the morale of the force high.

Some former police officials from Mumbai on Friday praised the Uttar Pradesh Police over the killing of notorious gangster Vikas Dubey in an encounter, saying that the action was "much needed" to keep the morale of the force high. Dubey was shot dead by the Uttar Pradesh police personnel on the outskirts of Kanpur city on Friday morning.

The police claimed that he was trying to flee after the car carrying him from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh overturned at Bhaunti in Kanpur district. Mumbai's former 'encounter specialist' police officer Pradeep Sharma defended the action against the gangster.

Talking to PTI, Sharma, who was reportedly involved in the 'encounter' killings of over 100 criminals, said, "We should congratulate the UP police for this daring action and this is a genuine encounter as four police personnel also got injured in it." "The man who killed eight policemen got what he deserved...At the place where the incident occurred, it had rained and the vehicle carrying him skidded. After that, Dubey tried to run away by snatching a weapon of a policeman and fired at them, but police opened fire in retaliation," he said. "This action will boost the morale of the police force. No question should be raised over this encounter and if anyone does so, then they should first go and meet the family members of eight police personnel, who were killed by the gangster," he said.

"Where were those activists, when the police personnel were killed by the gangster?" he asked. Another 'encounter specialist' Praful Bhosle, who retired as Assistant Commissioner of Police, said, in view of the circumstances at the time of the incident as described by the UP police, this action was "much needed'.

"Nobody should dare to kill the police, who is performing his duty and this encounter can be a lesson to the criminals," he said. Police have the authority and the criminals should not challenge them, otherwise there is no fear left for the police force among the criminals. There are legal ways to challenge the authority and that should be honoured, he said.

Retired Assistant Police Commissioner Bharat Shelke said, after the killing of eight police personnel, the action against gangster Dubey was much expected to keep the morale of police force high. Shelke had led the team when three members of the Dabbu gang were killed in a police encounter at Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai in 2006. The gang had killed police sub inspector Babasaheb Adhav during a bank robbery in Airoli.

Praising the Uttar Pradesh for the "good job", a retired ADG rank officer said that gangsters like Vikas Dubey must be eliminated, as they are "monsters" of the system. "How long does the society have to tolerate gangsters like him, who take disadvantage of the criminal justice system, which is not working properly," he said.

"Dubey had around 60 offences registered against him and in some cases he was acquitted as the witnesses turned hostile," the official said..