UP averages five police encounters daily under Yogi Adityanath's rule
What's the story
Since Yogi Adityanath took office as Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister in March 2017, the state has witnessed an average of five police encounters daily. The UP government on Monday revealed that a total of 17,043 encounters have been conducted during this period. The operations resulted in the deaths of 289 "hardened criminals" and injuries to 11,834 others.
Zone statistics
Meerut zone tops with 97 deaths
The Meerut Zone has recorded the highest number of encounter deaths with 97 "notorious criminals" killed. In these encounters, 3,513 were injured and 8,921 arrested. The Varanasi Zone comes second with 29 criminals killed in 1,292 encounters, while the Agra Zone ranks third with 24 deaths in 2,494 encounters.
Additional data
Bareilly and Lucknow zones follow suit
The Bareilly Zone saw 21 criminals killed in 2,222 encounters. The Lucknow Zone witnessed 20 deaths in 971 encounters. In Ghaziabad Commissionerate, the highest number of deaths among all commissionerates, at 18, were recorded during 789 encounters. Kanpur Zone had 12 deaths in 791 encounters, while Lucknow Commissionerate reported another dozen deaths across its 147 operations.
Encounter details
Agra, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Gorakhpur zones next in line
In Prayagraj Zone, 11 criminals were killed in 643 encounters, while Agra Commissionerate reported 10 deaths across its 489 operations. The Gautam Buddha Nagar Zone had nine deaths in 1,144 encounters, while the Gorakhpur Zone saw eight deaths in its 699 operations. Varanasi Commissionerate also recorded eight deaths across its 146 operations.
Policy impact
Government attributes success to 'zero-tolerance' policy against crime
The UP government attributed these figures to its "zero-tolerance" policy against crime. "Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, UP Police has implemented the zero-tolerance policy on the ground over the last 9 years," it said in a statement. It said this approach has increased fear among criminals and strengthened public security. The statement also highlighted other measures like property attachment and action under the Gangster Act as part of this strategy.