File photo for representational purpose only.
| Photo Credit: Nissar Ahmad
Uttar Pradesh Police claimed that they nabbed 5,967 criminals in 10,713 encounters carried out in the six-years of the Yogi Adityanath government while 1,708 criminals were injured.
“As soon as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took over the reins of the State, improving the law and order situation in the State became his priority. According to the available statistics, there have been 10,713 encounters since 2017 of which the highest – 3,152 encounters – were by Meerut Police in which 63 criminals were killed and 1,708 arrested. This is followed by Agra Police, which carried out 1,844 encounters in which 14 dreaded criminals were killed, 4,654 were arrested while 55 police personnel were injured,” a U.P. government press release said on Thursday.
It added the Adityanath government has adopted a policy of “zero tolerance against mafias and intensified crackdown on anti-social elements to strengthen U.P.’s law and order situation”. The government data shows that under Bareilly division, 1,497 encounters took place in the last six years in which 3,410 criminals were arrested while seven were killed and 437 injured.
The U.P. government added that encounter was the top strategy of the State police to crack down on criminals. “U.P. worked in a phased manner to curb crime and crack down on criminals. Encounter was the top strategy, which created fear among the criminals, after which they started fleeing from the State. Due to police actions, the State which was once known for poor law and order situation and atrocities of mafias today is being known not only in the country but abroad as a crime- and fear-free State,” it said.