Bahraich Encounter: A Look At Encounters Under Yogi Govt In UP

The Uttar Pradesh government has implemented a zero-tolerance policy towards mafias and gangsters operating in the state. Sarfaraz, also known as Rinku, one of the accused in the Bahraich incident, was injured in an encounter today (October 17).

Two suspects in the Bahraich violence case were shot by Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday while allegedly attempting to escape to Nepal. The individuals have been identified as Sarfaraz alias Rinku and Mohammed Taleeb.

According to Amitabh Yash, chief of the UP Special Task Force (STF), the suspects were shot near the border after police received a tip-off about their location.

"Five primary suspects have been arrested. Based on information from two of them, police went to recover the murder weapon they had concealed near Nanpara. A loaded gun and another weapon were recovered from that location. During the operation, two suspects were injured in retaliatory firing, and they are currently receiving medical treatment," said Bahraich SP Vrinda Shukla.

"Sarfaraz and Mohammed Taleeb sustained gunshot wounds to their legs. They have been referred to the district hospital for intensive care, and the bullets have not yet been removed," a doctor at the Nanpara Community Health Centre reported.

Violence erupted in Maharajganj, Bahraich, on October 13 due to the alleged playing of loud music outside a place of worship during a Durga Puja immersion procession, resulting in the death of 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra from gunshot wounds.

Here's a notable encounters in Uttar Pradesh under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's administration:

• On July 10, 2020, gangster Vikas Dubey was killed in Kanpur after a police vehicle carrying him overturned, leading to his attempted escape.
• Tinku Kapala, a gangster with a bounty of ₹1 lakh, was shot dead on July 25, 2020, during a joint operation by UP Police and the Special Task Force in Barabanki.
• Bangladeshi gangster Hamza was killed in an encounter with the police in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar area on October 18, 2021.
• On February 21, 2021, Moti Singh, accused of murdering a constable and injuring a sub-inspector in Kasganj, was killed in an encounter with state police.
• Vinod Kumar Singh, another gangster with a ₹1 lakh bounty, was shot during an exchange of fire with Jaunpur police on September 30, 2022.
• A criminal known as Manish Singh, alias Sonu, who had a ₹2 lakh bounty and 32 criminal cases against him, was killed in a shootout with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Varanasi (rural) on March 21, 2022.
• On April 2023, Asad and Ghulam, sons of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and Maksudan, respectively, and wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were killed by the UPSTF in Jhansi. Both had bounties of ₹5 lakh.
• In the Sultanpur robbery case, police apprehended several suspects, resulting in the death of Mangesh Yadav during an encounter. Over two and a half kilograms of gold were recovered from the criminals. The incident has sparked a heated exchange of words between the Opposition and the ruling political party in Uttar Pradesh regarding Yadav's recent encounter.

According to official data, under the Yogi Adityanath government, the state police have killed 183 criminals in 10,713 encounters since March 2017. Most of those killed were accused of serious offenses and had cash rewards for their capture ranging from ₹75,000 to ₹5 lakh.

Over the past six years, at least one listed criminal has been killed every 13 days in police encounters. The police have also made 23,069 arrests related to these encounters, with 4,911 injuries reported among the arrested. Tragically, 15 police personnel lost their lives in these exchanges, while 1,424 suffered bullet injuries.

According to police records, the annual breakdown of criminals killed in encounters is as follows: 28 in 2017, 41 in 2018, 34 in 2019, 26 each in 2020 and 2021, 14 in 2022, and nine so far in 2023 (up to March 6).