Akhilesh Yadav slams Uttar Pradesh Govt over encounter data, calls it ‘eyewash to create fear’

Reacting over the government data on encounters in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said many innocent people have been killed in such incidents, adding such data are just eyewash aimed at creating fear.

“Law and order cannot be improved by encounters. If law and order had been improved by the encounter, how did the incident take place in Banthara, Lucknow. How was a member of the Balmiki family lynched. Those who talk about zero tolerance on law and order and corruption. Many fake encounters have taken place in this government. Innocent people were killed,” said Mr. Yadav, addressing the media in Lucknow. The SP president was referring to a recent incident of rape of a minor girl in Banthara locality in Lucknow and lynching of a Dalit youth in Raebareli. 

He added, in Jaunpur and other places, policemen have gone to jail in fake encounters. “This government has broken the trust of the people in the police. There is fear among the public due to police harassment and corruption. The police are there to help the public, but this government has tarnished the image of the police. The public is being intimidated by the police. The government is making the police do political work. That is why the law and order is bad. A large number of people are getting digitally arrested,” alleged Mr. Yadav. 

Uttar Pradesh government on October 14 in a statement said that since Yogi Adityanath assumed office as Chief Minister in 2017 over 15,000 encounters occurred in the state, leading to elimination of 256 hardened criminals. “Since the Yogi government assumed office, the police have maintained a zero-tolerance policy toward crime. Over the past eight and a half years. 256 hardened criminals have been eliminated in encounters. 15,726 encounters were conducted, 31,960 criminals arrested and 10,324 injured,” reads the government statement. 

The SP president accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of selectively neglecting officials hailing from PDA social groups in key government postings and appointing officials. PDA meaning Pichhda, Dalits and Alpsankhyak, acronym for Backwards, Dalit and Minority. He said people from a feudal mindset are running the government and administration.