PIL in SC seeks court-monitored independent inquiry into Chitrakoot jail killings

The plea also sought a direction for probe into all alleged extra-judicial killings that have taken place in UP after March 18, 2017

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored independent inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or National Investigation Agency (NIA) into alleged killings of three inmates at Chitrakoot jail in Uttar Pradesh.

The incident took place on May 14, in Chitrakoot Jail of Uttar Pradesh, where it was reported that one undertrial Anshu Dixit from Sitapur opened fire and killed two others. He was also shot dead by the police in a retaliatory fire.

Advocate Anoop Prakash Awasthi, in his plea, also sought a direction for probe into all alleged extra-judicial killings that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh after March 18, 2017, when Yogi Adityanath took over as Chief Minister of the state, saying "the culture of violence promoted in the state militates against the basic notion of very rule of law".

The petition alleged that the Chief Minister has openly promoted the culture of encounters and extra-judicial killings, and went on record to say "Police in UP will now respond to a bullet with a bullet."

The plea cited the killing of Munna Bajrangi who was shot dead in Bagpat Jail of Uttar Pradesh in July, 2018, and Vikas Dubey's encounter in July, 2020 saying there have been several hundred encounters in UP since 2017, which is "not only alarming but equally disturbing".

"The Chief Minister, who is the provincial head of an elected government encroached upon the domain of punishment in sanctioning the taking of life in encounters without following the due process of law," the plea claimed.

The petitioner cited a video circulating in social media, which purportedly showed undertrial Dixit apprehending his killing by the police. "It is further astonishing to find that the two other killed inmates, namely Merajuddin and Mukim Kala, were transferred to Chitrakoot Jail only recently as a part of larger design behind the shootout".