UP: Police Allegedly Shot Dead Apple Executive For Not Stopping His Car

Apple executive Vivek Tewari was shot by a Uttar Pradesh police constable on Friday night, while he was trying to drive away when he was questioned in Maqdumpur police outpost in Lucknow’s Gomtinagar locality. 38-year-old Tewari was with an ex-colleague Sana Khan when the incident took place.

Constable Prashant Chaudhary as well as constable Sandeep Kumar have been sacked in this case, reported Hindustan Times.

The incident

Tewari along with Sana Khan were in their parked vehicle when these two constables, who were on patrol, came to question them around 1:30 am. According to Kalanidhi Naithani, Senior Lucknow police officer, they thought it was necessary to question them because “there was some suspicious activity”.

As Tewari tried to drive away, the constables tried to stop him. It was then that he was shot at by Prashant Kumar, and the speeding vehicle slammed into a flyover’s pillar.

Tewari was taken to Lohia hospital, where he succumbed to his bullet wound during his treatment. He was hit near his left ear. Reportedly, the police left the victim to die, and Sana had to get the help of some truck drivers to him to the hospital.

A case of murder has been registered against constable Prashant Chaudhary by Sana Khan’s complaint, The Times of India reported. Both the policemen have been taken into custody.

“When I approached the car, the driver (Vivek Tiwari) tried to run over me thrice to kill me. I fired a bullet in self-defence, he then immediately took off from the spot,” said constable Prashant Chaudhary, according to ANI.

Although initially, the police said that the constable might have opened fire in self-defence, they later accepted that excessive force had been used. Senior Uttar Pradesh Police officer Anand Kumar said it was a shameful incident for them.

“Tyranny of the police.”

The disappointed father-in-law of Tewari, Ramesh Chandra Shukla, said it is the policemen who are to be blamed entirely.

“It is the tyranny of the police. They first killed him and are now trying to portray it as an accident,” he said.

Tewari’s grief-stricken wife Kalpana insisted that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath speak to her. She said police had no right to shoot her husband. In a written letter to Adityanath, she also demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore. She has asked for job security for her two daughters and urged for a CBI probe.

#WATCH Kalpana Tiwari,wife of deceased Vivek Tiwari says,"Police had no right to shoot at my husband,demand UP CM to come here&talk to me." He was injured&later succumbed to injuries after a police personnel shot at his car late last night,on noticing suspicious activity #Lucknow pic.twitter.com/buJyDWts5n

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 29, 2018

“Was he a terrorist that police shot at him? We choose Yogi Adityanath as our representative, we want him to take cognizance of the incident and also demand an unbiased CBI inquiry,” said Vishnu Shukla, brother-in-law of deceased Tewari.

Tewari’s colleague Pankaj Pandey questioned that when the constables could have easily shot at the vehicle’s wheel, why did they shot at Tewari?

“I suspect foul play,” Pandey said.

CM Adityanath told the media that this incident was not a police encounter and that if needed, the central bureau of investigation will be handed the probe.

The Logical Indian Take

The role of the police is to protect the citizens and uphold the law. Use of excessive force in self-defence is understandable. However, if the senior officials themselves point out the flaws in the constables’ version then the need for an impartial inquiry becomes paramount. Moreover, UP CM did remark that this was “not an encounter,” but it is not that far-fetched to think that the UP police has been over-influenced by the political administration.

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