Encounter killings are a phenomenon that might puzzle the average non-Indian. Simply put, an encounter killing is an extrajudicial execution.

The Uttar Pradesh government and the police force are believed to be responsible for up to 119 encounter killings in the state, just in the last four years. Last year the UP police killed gangster Vikas Dubey, who had several open cases against him. In 2019, the police summarily executed four men who had gang-raped and murdered a woman in Hyderabad.

These encounter killings were not deemed a miscarriage of justice: in fact, the police were lauded in both cases for their actions. This reveals the deep rot at the heart of India's justice system.

The ordinary citizen often thinks it a good thing if the police kill "bad men" - after all, we can't possibly rely on our overworked judiciary and frustrating legal mechanisms to bring about justice, no?

The problem with this kind of police vigilantism, however, is that it makes for injustice. A corrupt police force (one that routinely indulges in encounter killings and is glorified for it) can get away with anything. There is a reason that human beings came up with the system of judge and jury- there is a need for an impartial, independent examiner to determine truth, innocence and guilt.

Police wield an extraordinary amount of power as is, and carry weapons. If they can act as executioner without any system of proof (except perhaps the say-so of other policemen), that is inherently suspect. They can pick up innocent people, or shoot dead people for minor crimes. We cannot give such license to a body without stringent checks and balances.

It's time that Bollywood stop romanticising encounter killings. We need to make governments and police forces accountable to the public: an encounter killing is not a thing that should happen in a civilized state, not under any circumstances. It cannot be tolerated.

https://thediplomat.com/2020/07/vikas-dubey-and-the-problem-of-encounter-killings-in-india/