"Will govt stop crime by eliminating ..." Mayawati questions 'police action' after Umesh Pal murder

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), [India], March 7 (ANI): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday expressed grief over the killing of two of the accused in the Umesh Pal murder and took potshots at the Uttar Pradesh government asking if will follow the rule of law or eliminate criminals on the streets.
"The UP government is under a lot of tension and pressure, especially regarding the law and order situation, regarding the murder of Umesh Pal, the witness of the Raju Pal murder case, in broad daylight, but the whole country is watching whether the government will follow the rule of law by law. Will it stop crime by eliminating criminals from the streets?" Mayawati said while taking to Twitter.
Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, and his two security personnel were shot dead in Prayagraj on February 24.
She further said that the police have taken action so far in the case in a very "hasty" manner.
"Whether the government is trying to cover up its failures. Will it do another 'Vikas Dubey scandal'?" she added.
Since then, two men allegedly linked to Umesh Pal's murder have been killed in encounters with Uttar Pradesh Police.
Vijay Chowdhary alias Usman was killed in the encounter that took place in Kaundhiyara in Prayagraj on Monday.
Addressing a press conference here, ADG Prashant Kumar said that the killed accused had a bounty of Rs 50,000 in his name.
"On February 24, Arbaaz was killed in a police encounter and on February 27, mastermind Sadaqat was sent to jail...Usmaan got injured during an encounter and was admitted to the hospital where he died," he said.
"A reward of Rs 50,000 was announced in Usmaan's name...in a video circulated it can be clearly seen he killed our police personnel," the ADG added.
He said that the Uttar Pradesh Police is determined to nab the culprits and bringing them to book.
"The accused will not be spared nor will the people who protect them...Illegally built properties of people associated with this case were demolished...UP Police is determined to catch hold of the culprits and present them in court," he said. (ANI)