Akhilesh Yadav Denounces UP Government's Alleged Fake Encounter Tactics

Akhilesh Yadav accuses the Uttar Pradesh BJP government of orchestrating fake encounters to intimidate minorities and create a corrupt system. He claims these encounters are a conspiracy against democracy, violate human rights, and harm societal harmony.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was using ''fake encounters'' to please its supporters, making them ''mentally violent'' and turning police officials into ''criminals''.

Addressing a press conference here, the former chief minister alleged that the government is orchestrating ''fake encounters'' for political gains and has created an entire ''criminal system'' at the official level through such actions.

He said, ''Incidents of fake encounters tarnish the clean image of the state and create fear among the people. Through such incidents, the BJP government tries to hide its corruption because whenever a government fears losing power, it turns communal and resorts to fake encounters.''.

Yadav said ''fake encounters'' have become a challenge to the country's culture, Constitution and healthy social thinking.

Alleging discrimination, he said, ''The BJP government in UP wants to intimidate PDA (backwards, Dalits and minorities) and deprive them of their rights on the pretext of encounters. The government conducts encounters on the basis of caste and religion, which disturbs social harmony in the state.''.

He claimed that ''fake encounters'' are the hallmark of a ''failed'' government and the BJP government is trying to create psychological pressure on the general public through such incidents.

Explaining what he termed the mindset behind attempts to justify ''fake encounters'', Yadav said such incidents were used to ''set the mental software'' of the people, not to update or upgrade it, but to make it ''outdated and downgraded''.

He alleged that this process filled society with violence, justified killings and revived a regressive mentality that believes ''might is right''.

''Fake encounters are a major conspiracy against the democratic system and reject the rule of justice and social justice enshrined in the Constitution,'' he said.

The SP chief further alleged that while the BJP government used ''fake encounters'' to satisfy its supporters, it also made them ''mentally violent'' and filled them with hatred to sustain political power.

''The BJP harms its own people as well,'' he remarked.

Yadav claimed that ''fake encounters'' weakened law and order instead of strengthening it, as they encouraged corruption in the police force.

Through ''fake encounters'', he alleged that the BJP government has created an entire ''criminal network'' at the governmental level. ''To justify fake encounters, some corrupt lawyers concoct fabricated stories and later blackmail officials and the government,'' he said.

Calling ''fake encounters'' a violation of human rights, Yadav said police personnel involved in such incidents also suffered eventually.

''When the police personnel involved in fake encounters get trapped, the BJP government distances itself from them. Their families face social humiliation and the public subjects them to a 'social encounter','' he said.

He advised police personnel not to become part of such incidents and alleged that the government was using them for its own benefit by turning them ''from officers into criminals''.

Yadav also claimed that several policemen involved in fake encounters later developed mental health problems. ''The police personnel involved in fake encounters may kill someone in a moment, but they themselves die slowly throughout their lives,'' he said.

Yadav alleged that under the BJP regime, there have been several instances where police extorted money from businessmen by threatening them with fake encounters or even killed them in hotel rooms.

''Not only this, several officials have also exploited women by threatening them with encounters,'' he said. The SP chief said that in one such case in Kasganj, some police officials were even sent to jail.

Reacting to Yadav's statement, BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, ''What is Akhilesh's relationship with criminals? When a criminal gets hurt, Akhilesh feels the pain. After every encounter, the pain of the criminals is expressed through Yadav's words. Eliminating crime and criminals is essential for society.''