‘Encounter’ victim’s uncle goes missing,police deny role

Before Pawan was killed,the family had written to Chief Minister Mayawati,DM and SSP of Lucknow,complaining that the local police had threatened to kill him,but none had acknowledged the complaint.

Rama Devi said: “I fear that the police may kill my brother-in-law,just as they killed my son.” In her complaint,she has named station officers of Thakurganj and Talkatora police stations,both of whom were part of the “encounter” team that killed Pawan.

Station Officer of Thakurganj police station Abhishek Sirohi denied that they had taken Bankey along with them. “Bankey must have fled somewhere fearing that he may be caught by the police,” said Sirohi.

Bankey’s neighbours in Gau Ghat locality,however,said that they saw the police taking him away on February 2.

According to police,Pawan had murdered an elderly couple and their granddaughter on January 28. The house where the murder took place is around 200 metres away from Bankey’s residence in Thakurganj.

Bankey is a daily wage labourer. On the day he went missing,his wife,Geeta,was in her parent’s house in Baranbanki. Geeta reportedly got a call from a neighbour who informed her that the police had picked up her husband.

“I went to Thakurganj police station along with my relative but the police denied picking up Bankey. Two days later,we again went there but they again denied that he was there,” said Geeta.