Action was recommended by a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the role of the police in the Bikru massacre that left eight policemen dead on July 3 in an ambush by gangster Vikas Dubey and his aides. The police team had gone to the Bikru village to arrest Dubey.

 

Dubey and five of his aides were later shot dead in separate encounters by the Special Task Force.

 

The SIT report said the 37 policemen, who were or are posted in Kanpur, had leaked information to Dubey.

 

According to official sources, of the 37 policemen, eight will face 'strict' action.

 

The eight policemen include the then Chaubeypur station officer Vinay Tiwari and sub-inspector K.K. Sharma. Both were suspended after the incident and later arrested. They are among the 38 people who have been charge-sheeted in connection with the ambush.

 

ADG Kanpur, Jai Narain Singh, has been asked to initiate proceedings against six other policemen for whom a 'lighter punishment' has been recommended.

 

Another 23 policemen will face an initial departmental probe. These include police officers from the Kanpur Nagar district as well as neighbouring Kanpur Dehat district.

 

The SIT had analyzed Dubey's mobile phone records going back up to a year and found that some policemen were in regular touch with him.

 

Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Bhoosreddy, Additional Director General of Police Hariram Sharma and DIG Ravindra Gaud are the three SIT members.

 

Earlier on Friday, FIRs had been registered against Vikas Dubey's wife, father, brother and other family members for procuring arms licenses and SIM cards allegedly using fake documents.