Bahraich encounter: BJP, Opposition spar over "dead or alive, fake encounter" policy

Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 17 (ANI): The recent encounter in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, has sparked a heated debate between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition. The BJP asserts that criminals will be caught "dead or alive," while the opposition condemns the encounter as "fake" and attributes the district's violence to the state government's and administration's failures.
This comes after the accused in the Bahraich incident, Sarfaraz and Mohammad Talib, were shot in the leg by the Uttar Pradesh Police while allegedly attempting to flee to Nepal.
BJP Leader Mohsin Raza said that the police administration is working on a zero-tolerance policy regarding crime in Uttar Pradesh and questioned the opposition's motives, asking if they want to glorify or save criminals.
"Our police administration is working on the zero-tolerance policy regarding crime in Uttar Pradesh and law and order is very good in Uttar Pradesh. The police take action against those who take the law into their own hands and commit crimes and will continue to do so and have been doing so in the past as well. But one thing we do not understand is what our opposition colleagues want. What do you mean, do you want to see the 'jungle raj' that you had run, do you want to glorify the criminals or do you want to save the criminals?" Raza said.
"The police administration is for all of us, for the interests of the 25 crore people of the state, and for their safety, the police also encounter criminals, catch criminals and send them to jail so that our businessmen, our mothers, sisters, common people remain safe, there is no atmosphere of fear in them. But again and again when such things happen, when our police administration takes any action, then the opposition people immediately stand up against it, so this kind of politics might suit you, but not us, we are committed to providing security to the people, the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh has become a role model government in the entire country," he added.
Bahraich MLA Sureshwar Singh said that both the injured accused have been brought to the hospital and are being treated.
"One arrest was made yesterday of Raja who was sent to jail yesterday itself. Today the police came to know that 5 accused are trying to escape to Nepal...When the police tried to stop them they opened fire, and in response to the firing, 2 people Mohammed Talib and Mohammed Sarfaraz got shot, they were brought to the hospital. They are being treated, and as soon as they recover they will be sent to jail," Sureshwar Singh said.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, "Such criminals should be killed but they are alive that is more than enough."
BJP leader Ajay Alok said that 212 encounters have happened in UP and the court has not raised questions on a single encounter
"This depends on the police that under what circumstance the encounter happened. A ministerial enquiry is also conducted of the encounter. 212 encounters have happened in UP and the court has not raised questions on a single encounter," Alok said.
BJP MP Syed Zafar Islam said that the protocol was completely followed and the fire was used only to bring them down
"Protocol was completely followed and the fire was used only to bring him down. Then this is a big achievement for UP police and should be appreciated," Islam said.
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu said that the criminals should be dealt with as strictly as Yogi Adityanath.
"No policeman fires to kill... Police should have stopped them...They (criminals) should be dealt with as strictly as Yogi Adityanath is doing, only then the rule of law will be established," Bittu said.
Uttar Pradesh minister OP Rajbhar said that dead or alive the criminals have to be caught.
"When the police go to arrest someone and bullets are fired at them, will the police garland them or shower flowers on them?... Dead or alive, they (criminals) have to be caught. If they have committed a crime, they will have to live underground or in jail or go to heaven... There should be order in the country and the state," Rajbhar said.
The Congress party also criticised the Uttar Pradesh government, attributing the Bahraich violence to failures by both the state government and the administration.
UP Congress President Ajay Rai remarked, "The government has been staging fake encounters for some time. They are merely trying to cover up their failures."
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate stated that law and order in Uttar Pradesh have collapsed, adding that there is a growing list of fake encounters in the state.
"Law and order have collapsed in Uttar Pradesh... There is a list of fake encounters in the state. In a state where the ADG Law and Order has to walk around carrying a weapon even 48 hours after riots, it shows that law and order have completely failed. We have been appealing for peace to be restored in UP," Supriya Shrinate.
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav criticised the state government, accusing it of using encounters to mask its failures.
"This incident was an administrative failure. The government is using encounters to cover up its shortcomings. If encounters were improving law and order, Uttar Pradesh would be leading other states. If permission was granted for the procession, why wasn't it conducted peacefully? If they can't handle such a small event, how can we trust them to maintain law and order in the state? What happened was unfortunate, and such incidents should not occur. We stand with the families of the victims and will ensure they receive justice. The government is using a divide-and-rule strategy. This incident wasn't spontaneous; it was planned," Yadav said.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over Bahraich encounter questioning the actions taken by the police, citing the "Thok Denge" policy of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Referring to this, Owaisi noted that if the police had sufficient evidence, they should have pursued legal punishment for the accused instead of resorting to extrajudicial measures.
"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," the AIMIM chief posted on X.
Former DGP UP Vikram Singh called the Bahraich encounter a big achievement for the UP Police.
"The violence that happened is unfortunate. But UP police took action against the main accused Md. Sarfaraz, he is injured and his treatment is ongoing. This is a big achievement for UP Police," Former DGP said.
Of the five arrested in connection with the Bahraich violence, two were injured during an encounter, while the remaining three were taken into custody, according to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar, who also stated that the situation is now under control.
"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.
SP Bahraich, Vrinda Shukla, clarified that the police acted in self-defence, which led to the injuries.
"When the police team went to the Nanpara area to recover the murder weapon, Sarfaraz alias Rinku and Talib alias Sablu were armed with a loaded weapon, which they fired at the police. The police retaliated in self-defence, injuring the two. They are currently receiving treatment. We have also arrested the other three accused. All five are now officially in custody, and strict action will be taken against them. A search is ongoing for the remaining accused," she said.
Ramgopal Mishra was killed, and several others were injured after clashes between two communities erupted during the Durga idol immersion procession in the Mahasi area of Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday. (ANI)