Retired officers charged in 1991 fabricated Kanpur encounter after three-decade probe

A fresh FIR has been lodged against a dozen retired policemen in Kanpur after the CB-CID concluded that the 1991 “encounter” was a sham. The inquiry, which named 18 officers including former station house officer Vidyasagar Tripathi and investigating officer Ramesh Chandra Bhatole, found that six of the accused are now deceased. Authorities allege that the men fabricated weapons evidence and filed false charges against twelve suspects, who were allegedly seized from their homes while asleep.

The complaint, filed by CB-CID inspector Sushil Kumar, led to the FIR being registered at Maharajpur police station, and DCP (East) Satyajit Gupta confirmed that the probe will proceed. The original case involved police claiming to have stopped a robbery of a DCM truck at Narval turn, but later testimony suggested the victims were forced into signing blank papers and were wrongfully charged under various IPC and arms statutes. The new filing revives accusations that the encounter was orchestrated to settle personal disputes, including a claim that Tripathi demanded a free plot of land.