Chidambaram attacks Yogi government over encounter killings

Senior Congress leader and former union Home minister P Chidambaram on Friday accused the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of jeorpadising rule of law by allowing encounter killings on a large scale. Expressing his opinion in a barrage of tweets, the veteran politician claimed that the state has fallen prey to the ruling party's "muscular" style of governing.

"Is this the rule of law under the Constitution of India? It is the rule of law under the 'muscular' model of governance offered by the BJP. After Jammu & Kashmir, it is UP that is the victim of muscular government," the Home minister in the UPA 1 and 2 governments stated.

It is noteworthy that the number of encounters in UP has become a major talking point with 78 alleged criminals getting killed in over 3000 encounters during the 16 months that BJP has been in power. The authorities have repeatedly defended their actions and have insisted that these encounters were genuine and part of the process to strengthen law and order in the state.