On July 2, the police team which arrived in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, to catch the history sheeter Vikas Dubey, was attacked by miscreants. Eight policemen including a deputy SP were killed. The question arises as to how, without political patronage, a criminal can surround and kill a police team and escape with ease. Arfa Khanum Sherwani, senior editor of The Wire, discusses this issue with senior journalist Sharat Pradhan of Lucknow.