Akhilesh Yadav Accuses Yogi Government of 'Fake Encounters' in Uttar Pradesh

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav criticized the Yogi Adityanath-led government for allegedly turning Uttar Pradesh into a hub of fake police encounters. He claimed that victims from backward, Dalit, and minority communities were being deliberately targeted, labeling these deaths as murders rather than legitimate encounters.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the Yogi Adityanath government of making Uttar Pradesh the capital of 'fake encounters,' describing the deaths of crime suspects in gunfights with police as deliberate 'murders.'

Yadav asserted that those most affected by these 'fake encounters' were individuals from backward, Dalit, and minority communities, collectively referred to as PDA (Pichde, Dalit, and Alpsankhyak).

Referring to the 'encounter death' of Mangesh Yadav, a suspect in a recent jewellery store robbery in Sultanpur district, Yadav claimed that 'all limits of injustice have been crossed.' He 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.'

Addressing party workers and supporters at the SP headquarters, Yadav contended that 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,' Yadav alleged.

He also criticized the police's handling of evidence, noting that 'a new luggage bag reportedly found from him contained new clothes bought from a showroom, and the motorcycle reportedly found was stolen, with the FIR being filed days later.' Yadav charged that the BJP government lacks empathy, saying, '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.' According to Yadav, 'This is not the first fake encounter in Uttar Pradesh. There have been numerous cases, and in the past, we pointed out that police might have attempted murder under the pretext of encounters.'

Concluding his remarks, Yadav accused the BJP of converting Uttar Pradesh into the 'capital of fake encounters,' claiming, 'This administration only aims to create fear, not development. What can one expect from those who are heartless and destructive?' He also alleged that the government is not only orchestrating fake encounters but also stripping away the constitutional rights of the people.

(With inputs from agencies.)