Apple exec shot dead by UP cops

A constable on patrol duty had asked the man to stop for checking in Lucknow

The Uttar Pradesh Police shot dead an Apple executive in Lucknow on Saturday, allegedly after he refused to stop his car for checking.

Vivek Tiwari, who was an executive with Apple, was shot by a cop on Saturday morning in the posh Gomti Nagar extension area while he was on his way to drop a woman colleague home.

The cop and his companion claimed that Tiwari tried to crush them with his vehicle after they signalled him to stop for checking. The female companion of the executive said it was dark and Tiwari feared for her safety and, therefore, did not stop. “Vivek did not try to harm the cop. The cop fired from the front. The bullet pierced the windshield and hit Vivek on the chin.”

The police registered a case of murder against the two cops, arrested them and dismissed them from service.

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The woman said that the two cops had fled from the spot after the incident. Tiwari was taken to hospital after another police patrol car arrived at the place, but he was declared brought dead.

The family members of the executive refused to cremate his body and demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job for his wife.

Not encounter: Yogi

“It is not an encounter. we will ensure stern action against the guilty cops. A special investigation team has been formed to investigate the matter.

“If need be, a CBI probe will be recommended,” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar blamed the state government for the killing.

“This government has given a free hand to cops to kill anyone,” he said.

The state police have already drawn flak from various quarters over encounter killings.

The police have gunned down around 65 “criminals” in alleged encounters in different parts of the state. The families of many victims alleged that the cops picked up their members from home and shot them dead at point-blank range.