Vikas Dubey: The SIT will submit its report to the government by July 31 (File)
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe gangster Vikas Dubey's rise in the world of crime and how he managed to kill eight policemen in an ambush in his native village earlier this month, the Uttar Pradesh government said on Saturday. Whether the police took effective action against Dubey in the past when it received complaints against him, the team, which comprises a senior Indian Administrative Service officer and two Indian Police Service officers, will investigate.
The SIT will submit its report to the government by July 31, the statement said.
The probe team will investigate intelligence and operational failures that led to the death of eight police personnel earlier this month, when they had gone to raid Dubey's home near Kanpur.
"On the day of the incident, was there any laxity in collecting information regarding the criminal's fire power. What was the level of the laxity, the police station had enough information? The SIT will probe this fact and will point out whose fault it was," the UP government said.
After committing the crime along with his accomplices, Dubey had fled the village. On Thursday, he surfaced at a prominent temple in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, where he was arrested.
On Friday morning, he was gunned down by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force - which was bringing him back from Ujjain by road- when he snatched an officer's pistol, following the accident of the car he was travelling in, the UP Police said.
Five of his associates were also killed in separate encounters in the last week.
The investigation team will probe several aspects of the rise of the gangster - including the police's alleged inaction against Dubey in the past.
"What action was taken to cancel the bail of such a prolific criminal? What action had been taken against him under the Gunda Act, NSA and Gangster Act and if there was laxity, what was its level?" the government said.
"It was found that Vikas Dubey and his associates were issued arms licences? Who issued them the licences despite them being involved in so many crimes and how could the licences and the weapons remained with them?"-- the SIT will investigate.
The Congress has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into all the aspects of the Kanpur episode, including the alleged criminal-politician nexus. However, the government's press release makes no mention of a probe into the encounter that killed Dubey.