Lucknow shooting: Akhilesh Yadav demands UP CM Yogi Adityanath's resignation, probe by sitting judge

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the death of a multi-national company executive in a police shooting in Lucknow.

Accusing the BJP government of conducting several fake encounters, the SP chief also pressed for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's resignation over the issue.

"What else can we expect from UP's BJP government? Numerous fake encounters are taking place in the state," Akhilesh told mediapersons at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh.

The former chief minister of UP also sought a judicial inquiry into the case.

''If the family members demand, a sitting judge should conduct an inquiry into the Lucknow incident,'' he said. 

"Uttar Pradesh cannot be saved from fake encounters until inquiry of such incidents is conducted by a sitting judge," he said.

"Yogi Adityanath should resign as CM since it is his responsibility for this incident," he said.

Vivek Tiwari, 38, a sales manager at Apple, was shot dead in the wee hours of Saturday by a policeman when he allegedly refused to stop his car for checking in Lucknow's posh Gomti Nagar locality.

His killing triggered a massive public outcry and evoked sharp reactions from political circles.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister over the shocking  incident and sought "effective and appropriate action".

"Spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the Lucknow's incident of Vivek Tiwari. I have asked the Chief Minister to take effective and appropriate action," Rajnath Singh said in a tweet in Hindi.

The UP Police constable arrested a constable and booked him for murder after he shot and killed a young Apple executive from close range. The state government also ordered a probe into the incident.

According to the UP Police officials, the constable and his colleague have been dismissed from service and sent to jail. The Chief Minister said if needed an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would be ordered.

According to a colleague of Apple sales manager, the accused constable, Prashant Chowdhary, had shot at Vivek Tiwari after chasing the SUV which he was driving. He had apparently failed to stop Tiwari during a late-night checking.

The incident happened at around 1.30 AM when Tiwari was heading home after the launch of iPhone XS and XS Max, along with Sana Khan, his colleague. 

Khan said that after they were fired at, Tiwari got scared and drove the SUV into an underpass pillar, sustaining more injuries.

Director-General of Police OP Singh has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General (Lucknow) to probe the case. Superintendent of Police (Crime and Rural) will be part of the team which has been asked to submit its report at the earliest.

Lucknow SSP Kalanidhi Naithani has met District Magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma requesting a simultaneous magisterial inquiry into the incident. 

The autopsy revealed on Saturday that the bullet had hit Tiwari in the chin and got stuck between the neck and the head, leading to his death due to "profuse bleeding". 

The SSP said the constable had been booked for murder after Khan filed an FIR.

According to the police, when the constable at Gomtinagar Extension signalled Tiwari to stop for checking, "he tried to flee". 

Police officials claimed that as Tiwari sped away, his car hit a bike on which two constables were riding, who then chased and shot him.

A second policeman has also been arrested and both were sent for medical examination to ascertain if they were drunk when the incident took place, an official said. 

Tiwari's widow, Kalpana, has demanded that the Chief Minister should explain to her and her girls why the 38-year-old Apple executive was shot dead.