'Capital Of Fake Encounters': Akhilesh Yadav Criticises UP's Yogi Adityanath Govt

Akhilesh Yadav alleged that recent encounter were part of a larger pattern of staged police actions targeting members of the PDA.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP government of turning Uttar Pradesh into the "capital of fake encounters," claiming that "deliberate murders" are being carried out under the pretence of police encounters.

His remarks drew a strong rebuttal from the Deputy Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh's top police officer, prison department minister, and BJP allies.

According to PTI reports, speaking to party workers and supporters in Lucknow, Yadav alleged that recent encounter deaths of crime suspects, including Mangesh Yadav from Sultanpur, were part of a larger pattern of staged police actions targeting members of the PDA, a term used by the SP to refer to backward classes, Dalits, and minorities.

His criticism stems after the Mangesh Yadav encounter, a suspect in the Rs 1.5-crore jewellery store robbery in Sultanpur, who allegedly died in a gunfight with the police.

He had earlier described Mangesh Yadav's encounter as "fake" and claimed it was motivated by the accused's caste.

While attacking on Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief said, "All limits of injustice have been crossed."

Yadav also accused the BJP of turning Uttar Pradesh into the "capital of fake encounters."

"It is widely known that fake encounters have occurred under the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. The murder of Mangesh Yadav was well known among people in the village and surrounding areas. The police had come at night and taken him away along with his belongings," he said, PTI reported.