Opposition leaders, locals accuse foul play by UP Police in Bahraich encounter : Valley Vision

Several opposition leaders on Thursday accused the Uttar Pradesh Police of staging a fake encounter after two Bahraich violence accused sustained bullet injuries from police firing in an alleged attempt to flee from custody.

Sarfaraz and Mohammad Talib, arrested in the violence, were shot in the leg by the police while allegedly attempting to flee to Nepal, according to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar.

Five people have been arrested including the two injured. Sarfaraz’s father Abdul Hameed, Fahim, and Abdul Afzal are the three other accused in custody.

“When the police were taking the five arrested accused for weapons recovery near the India-Nepal border, Sarfaraz and Talib tried to escape. Shots were fired as they fled, resulting in their injuries. Abdul Hameed, Fahim, and Abdul Afzal were also arrested. A total of five accused are now in custody, and the situation is under control,” DGP Kumar explained.

According to ANI, UP Congress President Ajay Rai stated that the UP government has been conducting fake encounters for a long time. They are merely trying to “cover up their failures”. Responding to the incident, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi criticized UP Police and cited the “Thok Denge” policy of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 

“It is not difficult to know the truth about the “encounter” of the accused of Bahraich violence by the police. Everyone knows about Yogi’s “Thok Denge” policy. If the police had so much evidence, then efforts would have been made to get the accused punished legally,” Owaisi posted on X.

In Bahraich, violence broke out at Maharajganj over loud music being played outside a mosque during a Durga Puja immersion procession. Ram Gopal Mishra, 22, part of the passing group, died of a gunshot wound in the ensuing violence. Following the death of the Hindu youth, angry mobs torched several houses, shops, showrooms, hospitals, and vehicles.

A lawyer from Bahraich had shared a fear of extrajudicial encounters after the police did not acknowledge the arrests of four among the five picked up by Special Task Force members Wednesday evening. Sarfaraz’s sister, in a video shared with the media, also said that the family feared police may plan a staged encounter against her kin.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said that the law and order in Uttar Pradesh have collapsed, adding that there is a growing list of fake encounters in the state.

Another Congress leader and MP Imran Masood said, “The rioters who burned shops should also be punished. Rioters have no religion. Those who burned an entire market and misbehaved with women should also be treated accordingly.”

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav joined the Congress in calling the communal violence in Bahraich, a failure of the Yogi Adityanath government and the local administration.

“This is the failure of the Bahraich administration and the government. They talk about zero tolerance and conducting every event very peacefully. So why was there no police security when such a big event was being organised?” Yadav asked.