The encounter killing of gangster Vikash Dueby on Friday morning created a political uproar in Uttar Pradesh with  the Opposition demanding a judicial probe into the police action and accusing  the Yogi Adityanath Government of “silencing” the gangster to save his political patrons.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday took a swipe at the UP Government over the encounter killing of Dubey saying while the criminal has gone, what about those protecting him? She also demanded a probe into the entire sequence of events, since killing of eight policemen and later alleged “encounter” of six criminals, including Dubey, by a sitting Supreme Court judge.

In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi said, “The criminal has gone, but what about the crime and those protecting him.” Priyanka had earlier demanded a CBI probe to ascertain the facts about the alleged “grant of protection” to Dubey.

She had also accused the BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh of “complete failure” in handling the Kanpur ambush case in which eight policemen were killed.

She had alleged that the chain of events in the case “exposed the chinks” in security and hinted at collusion.

Congress leader Jitin Prasada also tweeted, “With the end of Dubey in custody the Government has ensured that the trail which would have exposed his nexus with people in positions of power who allowed criminals like him to flourish, has ended too.”

Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav too took a jibe on Yogi’s encounter theory. Yadav suggested in a tweet that Dubey’s killing helped the Uttar Pradesh Government protect secrets that would have come out on the politician-criminal nexus.  “Basically the car did not overturn, but the Government has been saved from being overturned. The car overturned and Dubey tried to run. If he had to run then why did he surrender. The secret is very deep,” Yadav said in a tweet.

Reacting to alleged “encounter” Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Friday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the encounter of gangster Dubey. She wanted the enquiry to cover the killing of eight policemen last week in an ambush planned and executed by Dubey.

“There should be an unbiased probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court into the killing of policemen in Kanpur and the encounter of main accused Dubey while he was trying to flee when the police vehicle overturned,” Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.

In a separate tweet, she said, “This high-level probe is necessary for ensuring justice to eight policemen killed in Kanpur and to identify the nexus between police and criminal political elements. By such steps, UP can become crime free.”

In Delhi,  Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said at a Press conference that the killing of the gangster in an encounter raises several questions and sought to know  who were the people sitting in echelons of power who  granting protection to criminals like him.

“Congress demands that the unholy nexus between organised crime and the ilk of Dubey with those sitting in the echelons of power be probed by a sitting Supreme Court judge,” Surjewala said.

He said Uttar Pradesh has become synonymous with “goondaraj” and criminals like Dubey were allowed to move around freely in the State and thus it is necessary to bring out the political-criminal nexus in the state.

Congress also said the encounter of Dubey raises several questions than answers and sought to know who feared from the arrest of the gangster and the statement he would have given before the magistrate, spilling the beans about the alleged nexus between criminals and politicians-officers in UP.