India News | BJP Has Made UP Capital of Fake Encounters, Alleges SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow, Sep 12 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the Yogi Adityanath government of making Uttar Pradesh the capital of "fake encounters" and dubbed the deaths of crime suspects in gunfights with police as deliberate "murders".

Yadav claimed that on the receiving end of these "fake encounters" were mostly persons from PDA (Pichde, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) -- backward, Dalit and minority communities.

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Referring to the 'encounter death' of Mandesh Yadav, who was allegedly a suspect in a jewellery store robbery recently in Sultanpur district, he said, "All limits of injustice have been crossed".

The former chief minister questioned, "Can anyone imagine in today's time that a person would be gagged, bound and beaten to death? Is this the first such incident in Sultanpur? There was a similar incident before where someone affiliated with the BJP committed a murder in Sultanpur."

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Addressing party workers and supporters at the SP headquarters here, the SP chief claimed the narrative surrounding the encounter was false.

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

Yadav also criticised the police's handling of evidence, saying, "A new luggage bag was reportedly found from him and when opened, it was found to contain new clothes bought from a showroom. The motorcycle reportedly found was stolen, with the FIR being filed days later."

The SP chief said the BJP government lacks empathy.

"The pain of the family, the grief of the mother and the tears of the sister are not being understood. The government's attempt to portray the encounter as legitimate is indicative of their insensitivity. This is not the first fake encounter in Uttar Pradesh. There have been numerous cases of fake encounters, and even in the past, we pointed out that police might have attempted murder under the pretext of encounters," he said.

Yadav also accused the BJP of turning Uttar Pradesh into a "capital of fake encounters".

He said, "The government has carried out so many fake encounters that they have made Uttar Pradesh the capital of fake encounters. This administration only aims to create fear, not development. What can one expect from those who are heartless and destructive?"

Yadav added that the government is not only orchestrating fake encounters but also stripping away the constitutional rights of the people.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)