An encounter is happening in UP every 15 days. This situation is from 2017 till now. In 2017, Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of the state. Encounters and bulldozers have now become a part of the government’s policy in UP.
The Indian Express, examining police records, has found that since March 2017, when Yogi Adityanath took office, and till date, there have been 186 encounters in the state. This is a figure of more than one alleged criminal being killed by the police every 15 days.
However, in these six years, the number goes up to 5,046 when it comes to police firing just to injure (usually in the leg). That is, every 15 days in UP, more than 30 alleged criminals are shot and injured.
Records show that in the list of 186 people killed in police encounters, 96 alleged criminals had cases of murder, two of whom had molestation and gangrape and POCSO cases. Police officials point out that between 2016 and 2022, there has been a sharp decline in crime across UP. According to official records, there has been an 82% drop in dacoity and a 37% drop in murder. But very few people are connecting it with the encounter.
In fact, when asked about these findings, Prashant Kumar, Special DG, Crime and Law and Order, Uttar Pradesh Police, told The Indian Express: “Police encounters have never been part of our strategy to control or contain heinous crimes. Not participating. This is done to deter vicious criminals.”
Magisterial inquiry is a necessary process in every police encounter. As per the records, in 161 encounters this process has been completed and the investigation was settled without any objection. Explain that in a magisterial inquiry, the magistrate has to record the statements of the policemen involved in the action and other witnesses and submit a report with his own findings. In none of the 161 cases (25 still pending), the magisterial inquiry report had mentioned any adverse remarks against the police. The relations between the magistrate and the police are generally good.
An examination of the encounter data reveals that nearly a third of these or 65 alleged criminals were shot and killed by the police in the districts falling under the Meerut zone. 20 alleged criminals were killed in Varanasi and 14 in Agra zone.
