"Pattern": Akhilesh Yadav Alleges Fake Encounters Under BJP Rule In UP

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh over the alleged encounters state, saying a "pattern has been set".

In a post on X, the SP chief said, "A pattern of encounters has been set under BJP rule: pick someone first, then make up a story of a fake encounter, then show fake pictures to the world, then after the murder, when the family members tell the truth, pressurise them with various kinds of pressure and temptations....".

"...The more the BJP with its forces tries to prove such encounters to be true, the bigger lie that encounter actually is. BJP carried out the encounter of truth itself," he added.

Congress has also slammed the BJP government over alleged encounters in the state.

"The encounter of Mangesh Yadav in Sultanpur has once again proved that the BJP does not believe in the 'Rule of Law'. Professional forces like STF are being run like 'criminal gangs' under the BJP government, the silence of the Central government on this is their clear agreement on this 'thoko policy'. Dozens of encounters of UP STF are under question. Has any action been taken against any of those officers till date? After all, who is saving them and why.

Touching the Constitution in front of cameras is just a pretence when your own governments are openly tearing it to pieces," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X on September 8.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had last week slammed Samajwadi Party leaders over their allegations.

"You see, when a mafia or a dacoit is killed in a police encounter, it's as if the police have touched a sensitive nerve, and they start crying out. Tell me, if a dacoit, who was killed in an encounter, had been left to continue his crimes. Could the Samajwadi Party have brought those lives back? During the SP government, police used to run while the goons used to chase them. Today, their roles have been reversed.

The mafia is running, police are chasing," the Chief Minister said.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati earlier hit out at both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party and warned the people to be "cautious of the drama" and said that "no fake encounters" took place during BSP rule in Uttar Pradesh.

"After the encounter incident in Sultanpur district of UP, the BJP and SP are blaming each other for law and order and are doing politics forcefully in the name of crime, criminals and caste, while in this case both they are chor chor mausera bhai'. That is, like the BJP, the law and order situation was many times worse in the SP government. People have not forgotten that the SP goons and mafia used to rob and beat up Dalits, other backward classes, the poor and businessmen in broad daylight," Mayawati said in a post on X.

She further said that the law was in place only under the rule of the BSP and warned the people to be cautious of the drama of rule of law by BJP and SP.

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