Perception Vs reality: Dip in encounter deaths under Yogi 2.0
LUCKNOW : Although the opposition parties are aggressively attacking the U.P. government over ‘targeted killing of criminals on the lines of caste and religion’, analysis of available data of encounters accessed by the Hindustan Times suggests there has been a significant drop in the numbers of encounters deaths in the Yogi 2.0 that was formed on March 25, 2022.
In the second term of the Yogi government, so far, a total of 49 criminals have been gunned down in police encounters between March 25, 2022 and September 5, 2024—when a Jaunpur resident Mangesh Yadav was killed in police encounter in Sultanpur which sparked a political storm over the ‘targeted killing of criminals on the lines of caste’.
In the Yogi 1.0, 158 criminals were gunned down in police encounters between March 31, 2017 and March 21, 2022. On the other hand, only 49 criminals have died in police encounters in the Yogi 2.0 so far even as half of its term has ended.
As per the available data, around five criminals were gunned down every two months in the first five years of Yogi government between March 31, 2017 and March 24, 2022.
On the other hand, there has been a decline in the killings of criminals in the Yogi 2.0 with around three criminals getting killed in every two months between March 25, 2022 and September 5, 2024.
The second term includes killings of four gang members of slain mafiosi-turned-politician brothers Atiq Ahmad and Khalid Azeem alias Ashraf in encounters after the sensational killing of lawyer Umesh Pal and his two guards in broad daylight in Prayagraj on February 24, 2023.
As per the data, so far a total of 207 criminals have been gunned down in seven-and-ahalf years of the BJP government in U.P. i.e. between March 31, 2017 and September 5, 2024.
Out of them, 49 criminals were gunned down in different police encounters from March 25, 2022 till September 5, 2024.
They include four criminals with Yadav surnames and 11 with Muslim names. Out of 15
criminals, four were the gang members of slain mafiositurned-politician brothers Atiq Ahmad and Khalid Azeem alias Ashraf.
The remaining 34 criminals out of total 49 included five with Singh surnames and others, including Brahmins, Jat and Gurjar.
The detailed data of criminals killed in encounters under the BJP government in state since March 2017 suggested that 28 criminals were killed in encounters in 2017, 41 in 2018, 34 in 2019, 26 each in 2020 and 2021 and 14 in 2022 and 26 in 2023 while 12 criminals have been gunned down in police encounters in 2024 so far.
Of 28 criminals killed in 2017, 15 had Muslim names, and two Yadav and one Singh surnames while 10 belonged to other Hindu castes.
Of 41 criminals killed in 2018, 15 were with Muslim names and two criminals with Singh surnames while no criminal with Yadav surname was killed that year.
Of 34 criminals killed in 2019, 13 were with Muslim names and five with Yadav surnames besides two had Singh surname.
Of 26 criminals killed in 2020, five were with Muslim names and one criminal each with Yadav and Singh surname. Of 26 criminals killed in 2021, six had Muslim names, three had Yadav surnames and one had Singh surname.
Of 14 criminals killed in 2022, one had a Muslim name and two had Yadav surnames besides six had Singh surnames.
Of 26 criminals killed in 2023, 10 had Muslim names and one had Yadav surname while two had Singh surnames. Similarly, four criminals with Muslim names, two with Yadav surnames and two with Singh surnames were killed.
On September 5, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Sultanpur robbery case accused Mangesh Yadav was killed intentionally in an encounter because of his caste while the prime accused Vipin Singh was strategically allowed to surrender in connivance with police and the three other accused were shot in the legs in a fake encounter.
The SP chief also accused the state government of having “deep connections” with people involved in the Sultanpur robbery case in a post shared on X.
On Thursday, UP Police’s top brass said criminals have no caste and that they get killed, injured and arrested as per the circumstances.
State director general of police (DGP) Prashant Kumar reiterated that no selective targeting of criminals has been done by the state police while denying allegations levelled on police over encounter of Mangesh Yadav by Special Task Force (STF) in Sultanpur on September 5.
He said Mangesh Yadav was involved in Rs 1.5 crore robbery at a jewellery shop in Sultanpur on August 28 and the police will prove this in the court of law.
“We have CCTV footage of his involvement in the Sultanpur robbery and he had past crime record,” he added.