Prayagraj : The Allahabad High Court has directed the police commissioner of Kanpur Nagar, Raghubir Lal, to appear in person and file an affidavit in connection with an alleged incident of looting and vandalism at a hotel in Kanpur in which some police personnel were reportedly involved.
The court also directed that a copy of its order be sent to the Uttar Pradesh director general of police and fixed Nov 26 as the next date of hearing. The court also referred to a case diary entry dated April 16, 2026, which recorded the alleged complicity of police personnel in the looting. A division bench of Justice Ajay Bhanot and Justice Divesh Chandra Samant observed that the probe now warrants direct supervision by the district’s top police officer. The directions came on a writ petition filed by hotel owner Preeti Bajpai, who sought a fair investigation into the alleged incident. Bajpai claimed videos of the incident surfaced, but police initially failed to register an FIR. A case was later lodged at Rawatpur police station in Kanpur Nagar following the intervention of senior police officers. She further alleged that an additional deputy commissioner of police in Kanpur Nagar was directly involved in the incident.
The order was passed on Oct 24 after the court found an affidavit filed on behalf of the investigating officer (IO) unsatisfactory.