Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday (April 26) alleged that encounters were taking place in Uttar Pradesh on the basis of caste and religion, bypassing the rule of law.
“Encounters are happening on the basis of caste, religion and by flouting the law,” Mr. Yadav said in Ghaziabad, days after the SP released a list of strongmen belonging to the Rajput community and questioned why despite dozens of criminal cases lodged against them no decisive action was being initiated.
The SP released the list after Asad, son of former MP Atiq Ahmed, was killed in a police encounter.
It said that the accused were still running crime syndicates as they hailed from the same caste as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
Mr. Yadav, who campaigned for the party’s candidates in the urban local body polls, attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said they were discussing about tamancha (pistol) to divert attention from their failure in providing basic facilities like education and health in the State.
“If you ask them about health services, they will say tamancha. If you ask them about the promises that education will be cheap, they will say tamancha. If they cannot do solid waste management, then they will again say tamancha,” he added.
Mr. Yadav asked what would remain in capital Lucknow, if the work done by the Samajwadis (socialists) is removed. “If you remove the work of Samajwadis (socialists) from a capital like Lucknow, what will you get there? BJP people should tell that here an auto driver was beaten to death by the police. Did the government help him?” he said.
Published - April 26, 2023 07:55 pm IST
