Akhilesh says BJP has made UP “capital of fake encounters”

SP president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, 12 September alleged that the BJP has made Uttar Pradesh the "capital of fake encounters" where "deliberate murders" are orchestrated under the guise of police encounters.

Addressing party workers and supporters in Lucknow, Yadav claimed that the recent encounter deaths of crime suspects, including the case of one Mangesh Yadav from Sultanpur, were part of a broader pattern of staged police actions targeting members of the PDA, a term coined by the SP to refer to backward classes, Dalits and minorities.

His attack stems from the recent killing of Mangesh Yadav, a suspect in the Rs 1.5-crore robbery at a jewellery store in Sultanpur, who died allegedly after a gunfight with the police.

He had previously also termed Mangesh Yadav's encounter as "fake" and alleged that it was done based on the basis of the accused's caste.

In a scathing attack on the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief said, "All limits of injustice have been crossed."

He questioned the legitimacy of the encounters, asking rhetorically, "Can anyone imagine in today's time that a person would be gagged, bound, and beaten to death?"

The former chief minister asserted that the encounter narrative in the Sultanpur incident was fabricated, citing discrepancies in the evidence.

"It is widely known that fake encounters have occurred under the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. The murder of Mangesh Yadav was well known among people in the village and surrounding areas. The police had come at night and taken him away along with his belongings," he claimed.

Criticising the government's handling of the case, Yadav accused the BJP of making Uttar Pradesh the "capital of fake encounters".

Uttar Pradesh's Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar firmly rejected the claims.

"There is no response to political claims. I outright rebut such allegations. No action is taken considering the caste or community of a criminal. If it is found that someone has taken action for personal benefit, there are sufficient checks and balances," Kumar told reporters in Lucknow.

He assured that the police acted only after a thorough examination of the evidence and maintained that all actions were conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

The robbery in Sultanpur took place on 28 August at Bharat Jewellers in Thatheri Bazaar, Majerganj Chauk.

Of the 15 accused, three identified as Sachin Singh, Pushpendra Singh, and Tribhuvan were held while one Mangesh was killed in an encounter with the STF.

Later, one Vipin surrendered in court. The police on Wednesday, 11 September arrested one Durgesh Pratap Singh, Vinay Shukla, Arvind Yadav alias Fauji, and Vivek Singh.