Gangster Vikas Dubey's 'encounter' acquires 'casteist overtones'; Congress, BSP allege 'persecution' of Brahmins

Caste, which has been a part and parcel of Uttar Pradesh politics, has also penetrated the killing of Vikas Dubey, who had been gunned down in a controversial 'encounter' with the police near Kanpur on Friday, a week after he and his associated shot dead eight cops in an ambush.

Congress and BSP have accused the Yogi Adityanath government of 'persecuting' the influential 'Brahmin' community in the state. Vikas hailed from the 'Brahmin' community.

Congress' 'Brahmin' leader Jitin Prasada sought to link the 'encounter' of Vikas Dubey with the killings of the members of the community since the formation of the BJP government in the state in March 2017.

''Brahmins have been facing persecution in this regime...many members of the community have been killed since BJP came to power in the state..in many cases, the perpetrators have not been apprehended,'' Prasada said.

Incidentally, Prasada, through a little known outfit 'Brahmin Chetna Parishad', has been mounting attacks on the saffron party regime on this issue.

Congress leaders also pointed out that all the five 'aides' of Vikas Dubey, who were killed in encounters in different parts of the state by the police, hailed from the 'Brahmin' community.

Not wanting to be left behind, BSP supremo Mayawati also saw a connection between the killing of Vikas Dubey and the overall attitude of the state government toward the community.

''The Brahmin community is scared and is feeling unsafe after Vikas Dubey's encounter,'' Mayawati said.

Political analyst J.P.Shukla said that it was an attempt by the BSP and Congress to show themselves as the 'messiah' of the community. 'Brahmins' formed around nine percent of the total electorate in UP

Vikas and his goons had shot dead eight UP cops, when the latter went to his residence at Bikaru village in Kanpur district to arrest him last week.