Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of carrying out a "fake encounter" to kill the son of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his associate in Jhansi. He alleged that the ruling party was trying to divert the attention of the people from the real issues plaguing the state.
Mr Yadav said the BJP government did not believe in the courts and was taking the law into its own hands. He said it was not right for those in power to pass judgement on who was right or wrong and to decide who should live or die.
"With fake encounters, the BJP government is trying to divert attention from the real issues. The BJP does not believe in courts at all. Today's and recent encounters should also be thoroughly investigated and the culprits should not be spared. Those in power do not have the right to decide what is right or wrong. BJP is against harmony," Mr Yadav tweeted in Hindi.
The former Chief Minister was commenting on the killing of Ahmad's son Asad and an accomplice, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police in Jhansi on Thursday, officials said.
According to the police, Asad and Ghulam were trying to flee on a motorcycle when they were intercepted by a Special Task Force team in Jhansi. They opened fire on the personnel and were killed in retaliatory firing. The police claimed to have recovered sophisticated foreign-made weapons from them.
The encounter took place on a day Ahmad was presented before a court in Prayagraj in the same murder case and was sent to 14-day judicial custody.
Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder case of then BSP MLA Raju Pal, and his two police security guards were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj's Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this year.
"Bulldozer Will Remain In Garage Now": Akhilesh Yadav Jabs Yogi Adityanath Yogi Adityanath's PDA Full Form: Production House For Rioters, Criminals Akhilesh Yadav's "Save Constitution" Post On UP Bypolls, BJP Takes A Dig On Camera, Murder Attempt Goes Wrong, Trinamool Leader Chases Shooter 10 Newborns Killed In UP Hospital Fire, Parents Protest To Meet Survivors India's Most Advanced Satellite Launch From US Is Elon Musk's 'Trump' Card In Jhansi, Grieving Parents Struggle To Cope With Loss After Hospital Fire Suitcase Stuffed With Woman's Body Found On Delhi-Lucknow Highway Siddhant Chaturvedi Had A "Goan Thali Kinda Cheat Day" - See Pic Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.