23 convicted in Bikru massacre receive 10-year prison term, 7 acquitted

Lucknow: A special Gangster Act court, on Tuesday, sentenced 23 accused to 10 years in jail in connection with the 2020 killing of eight police personnel, including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Devendra Mishra, in an ambush by Vikas Dubey-led gang in Bikru village.

Eight personnel, including DSP Devendra Mishra, were ambushed in the Bikru village when they were on their way to arrest gangster Vikas Dubey shortly after midnight on July 3, 2020.

Seven other accused were acquitted in the case by Additional District Judge-5 Durgesh, in Kanpur Dehat district, Special Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said in a statement.

Public Prosecutor Raju Porwal also confirmed the punishment and said he will “soon challenge the acquittals” of the seven people.

“After hearing of 30 accused persons in the Bikru case, the court in Mati in Kanpur Dehat district, on September 5, 2023 , gave its final judgment in which out of 30 accused persons, 23 accused persons were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, and a fine of Rs 50,000 was imposed on each of them,” the statement said.

Mati is the district headquarters of Kanpur Dehat district.

This is the first sentence in Bikru massacre.

Vikas Dubey was killed in an encounter on July 10 when a police vehicle carrying him from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh to Kanpur met with an accident and he tried to escape, the police had said.

Following a search operation after the July 3 incident, two of Vikas Dubey’s associates — Prem Prakash Pandey and Atul Dubey — were killed in an encounter in Kanpur.

On July 8, Amar Dubey, who carried a reward of Rs 50,000, was killed by the police in the Maudaha village of Hamirpur district.

The following day, Prabhat and Bauwa Dubey alias Praveen, were killed in separate encounters in Kanpur and Etawah districts, the police had added.

The slain gangster’s aide Shyamu Bajpai and his alleged financier, Jaikant Bajpai, are among those convicted.

Advocate Shivakant Dixit, who appeared for Jaikant Bajpai, said, “The Investigating Officer in his testimony said he did not have any evidence against Bajpai. We could not convince the court the way we would have liked. I am hopeful of getting justice from the high court.”

Following the court’s verdict, police security was stepped up in Bikru village.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Anand Prakash Tiwari, said police have been directed to maintain a close watch on the village, particularly on the relatives of the convicts.