Couple pursuing son’s fake encounter found murdered

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The complainant — Brajendra Gupta (70) had been pursuing the case related to his youngest son Mukul’s death in police encounter in Bareilly, which was found to be fake in CBI investigation. Allahabad High Court had ordered an investigation by the CBI in the encounter that took place in 2010 while hearing a petition filed by Gupta.

The CBI had held 10 policemen, including then assistant superintendent of police in Bareilly J Ravinder Goud, guilty of killing Mukul in a fake encounter.

While chargesheet had been filed against other policemen, the incumbent Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh denied CBI’s request of prosecution sanction against Goud. Hence, no chargesheet could be filed against Goud, a 2005 batch IPS, who is presently posted as SSP of Aligarh.

A former engineer of Public Works Department, Gupta and his wife Shanno Devi, 66, were found murdered late Wednesday when a relative reached their house as the couple had not been answering the phone calls made by their daughter.

According to police, a relative of Gupta informed them on finding the gate to Gupta’s house closed. Police found the bodies of Gupta and his wife, bearing injuries caused by a sharp-edged weapon, lying in the kitchen.

“Foul smell had been emanating. The bodies were about two days old. There were injury marks on various parts of their bodies including at their throats,” said Badaun SSP Saumitra Yadav.

He said there was no forced entry in the house and prima facie it did not appear to be a case of a robbery. The family members who arrived Thursday are checking if any valuables have been stolen.

Police have lodged an FIR for murder against unidentified persons.

In Lucknow, IG, Traffic, Deepak Ratan, on behalf of DGP Headquarters, said: “Forensics and dog squads are being used. Investigations are on”.

Gupta’s son Mukul was killed in the police encounter in 2007. Bareilly Police had then claimed that it was tipped off about a few men, having planned to commit a bank robbery, were passing through Fatehganj area in a Tata Sumo vehicle. The police claimed that when they intercepted the vehicle, the men inside opened fire at them.

Mukul was killed in retaliatory firing. His associates Vicky Sharma, the driver, and Pankaj were caught. A fourth man, however, managed to escape. He was later identified as Prem Shankar.

In 2012, the Uttar Pradesh government had got an application from the CBI seeking prosecution sanction against Goud, four sub-inspectors and five constables.

The government had, however, denied the prosecution sanction against Goud.