Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad Ahmed and his close aide Ghulam’s killings on Thursday brought the total number of criminals neutralised in such “encounters” to 182 in the last six years of the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh.
According to figures released by the state government, the numbers also show that over 10,000 police encounters were recorded. In fact, counting Asad Ahmed and his aide, there were 10,714 encounters. The data shows that those killed in encounters were accused of serious offences.
Looking at the district-wise breakup, Meerut police had the highest number of encounters at 3,152 in which 63 accused were eliminated and 1,708 left injured. During these incidents, the data shows, one policeman was killed in the line of duty while 401 cops were hurt and 5,967 accused were arrested as a result of these encounters.
Agra had the second highest number of police encounters. The Taj district witnessed 1,844 encounters where police gunned down 14 accused and arrested 4,654. A total of 55 cops got hurt.
Bareilly has the third highest number of encounters at 1,497 in which seven accused were killed and 3,410 arrested. A policeman was killed during these encounters, while 296 cops and 437 accused sustained injuries.
Special director general of police (law and order) Prashant Kumar, while speaking about the data, said the state police had given a befitting reply to criminals. Since he became chief minister Yogi Adityanath has made the law and order situation in the state a priority, with a “zero tolerance policy for antisocial elements”.
In its sixth year now, the state government has made an effort to continue its crackdown on crime with 23 accused gunned down in police encounters and 1,256 injured between March 16, 2022, and March 15, 2023.
Besides, property worth Rs 1,849.28 crore has been seized, demolished and freed from illegal possession from mafiosos, gangsters and criminal elements in the same time period.
“Other than a befitting reply to criminals if they attacked police, 3,052 criminals carrying a reward on their head have been arrested during this period. These include 2,749 criminals who were carrying a reward of Rs 25,000, 267 criminals carrying a reward between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000, and 36 criminals over Rs 50,000,” Kumar said.
He said 12,513 accused had been arrested in 3,903 cases under the Gangster Act and 126 arrested in cases related to the National Security Act (NSA). At least 66 mafiosos and their gang members had been identified during this period, he added.
Kumar further said the police acted against 354 mafiosos and their gang members in 186 cases registered against them, of which 94 were arrested, 61 booked under the Goonda Act and 138 booked under the Gangster Act while the NSA was imposed against nine.
A total of 13 mafiosos and 21 of their aides were convicted and sentenced to life in jail and handed out other sentences, while two got the death penalty in 28 different cases over the past year, the DGP said.
Crackdown on drugs and illicit liquor
Kumar also said the special crackdown began on January 1, 2022, and till March 12, 2023, 13,787 NDPS cases had been registered while contraband amounting to Rs 479.67 crore was seized from different parts of the state. He said 310 cases of the Gangster Act were registered against 1,448 people involved in peddling drugs.
A similar crackdown was launched on the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor, in which 1,06,952 cases were registered and illicit liquor as well as material used in its manufacturing worth Rs 108.75 crore was seized, Kumar said. A total of 423 cases had been registered under the Gangster Act against 1,377 people involved in the sale and manufacturing of illicit liquor.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah praised Adityanath for “improving” the state’s law and order situation in the state at the Global Investors’ Summit in Lucknow. They said a better law and order situation had helped the state attract more investment.
Samajwadi Party secretary and spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary, however, said the law and order situation had worsened under the Adityanath-led BJP government.
“This government is all propaganda. It has been claimed that criminals and mafia have left the state, but nothing has changed and they all continue to strike at will,” Chaudhary said.
Major ‘police encounters’ against gangsters
Vikas Dubey: Gangster Vikas Dubey was killed in an encounter on July 10, 2020. He allegedly tried escaping when the special task force was taking him back to Kanpur from Ujjain in a police vehicle. He allegedly fired at cops as he ran. He was the primary accused in the murder of eight police officers, including a deputy superintendent of police rank officer, during a raid in his house at Bikru village in Kanpur.
Tinku Kapala: Lucknow’s most wanted person at one point, Tinku Kapala aka Kamal Kishore was gunned down in UP’s Barabanki on July 25, 2020, during a joint operation by the special task force and UP police. The price on his head was Rs 1 lakh. He was charged with over two dozen criminal prosecutions, including serious allegations under the Arms Act for robbery, murder, and attempted murder.
Moti Singh: On February 21, 2021, the UP Police gunned down Moti Singh, who was the main accused in the Kasganj murder case. He allegedly killed a constable of the Sidhpura police station and injured a sub-inspector on a police raiding party in Kasganj village.
Hamza: The UP Police gunned down an alleged Bangladeshi gangster in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar area on October 18, 2021. He was the suspected commander of a gang that burgled homes near railway tracks in Uttar Pradesh and other states. Hamza was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000.
Manish Singh: On March 21, 2022, in rural Varanasi, Manish Singh alias Sonu was shot and executed by the special task force (STF), which had placed a bounty of Rs 2 lakh on him. Police charged him in 32 cases, including seven murder, five attempted murder, and additional cases of theft, dacoity as well as robbery.
Vinod Kumar Singh: Jaunpur police killed a gangster who had a reward of Rs 1 lakh. This “police encounter” took place in a village under Badlapur police station on September 30, 2022. More than two dozen cases, including robbery, murder, and dacoity were registered against him.
Aditya Rana: A day before Asad’s encounter, Aditya Rana alias Ravi, carrying a bounty of Rs 2.5 lakh, was shot and killed in a police encounter on April 12 in Bijnor. He was wanted after he escaped twice from police custody — once in 2017 and again on August 23, 2022, from Shahjahanpur. He was missing for the past eight months. In a statement, police said Rana was a suspect in 43 crimes, including six killings and 13 robberies.
(Inputs by Harshika Yadav)
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