Police Encounters Will Not Be Stopped: UP CM Yogi Adityanath

“A total of 40 dreaded criminals have been gunned down in 1,200 encounters”, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 

(Photo: IANS)

Accusing the opposition of sympathising with criminals, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday, 15 February, declared in the state Legislative Council that police encounters in the state will not stop.

Speaking in the House during the Zero Hour, Adityanath pointed toward the opposition and said everybody knew who gave patronage to criminals.

A total of 40 criminals have been gunned down in 1,200 encounters since the BJP formed a government in the state, and this will continue, the chief minister said.

The Indian Express, quoting data from DGP office, said that 1,142 encounters were recorded between March 20, 2017 and 31 January this year. In the 25 preceding 9 February, eight people were killed in 60 encounters across districts.

He was replying to Devendra Pratap Singh's (BJP) question on propriety pertaining to the 13 February directive of Chairman Ramesh Yadav asking the Yogi Adityanath government to get a CBI probe conducted into three cases, including of two police encounters.

It is unfortunate that some people are showing sympathy toward criminals. This is dangerous for democracy. The Noida incident which took place on 3 February, in which Jitendra Yadav was hit by a bullet, was not a police encounter, and police does not count it as an encounter. Even the person affected had endorsed it.

Yogi Adityanath

The chief minister urged the Chair to consider the questions raised by Devendra Pratap Singh.

To this, Leader of Opposition Ahmed Hasan (SP) said that the Chair had already directed the government to get a CBI probe conducted. “Now it can either recommend a CBI probe or may not do so. What is the relevance of the objection,” Hasan asked.

Later, Chairman Ramesh Yadav said he would reserve his decision on the question of propriety raised by Singh.

(With inputs from PTI, Indian Express)