"Everyone knows about Yogi's 'Thok Denge' policy": Asaduddin Owaisi slams UP govt on Bahraich encounter

New Delhi [India], October 17 (ANI): 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.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar said on Thursday that two out of the five arrested in the Bahraich violence were injured during the encounter and three others were taken into custody, adding that the situation is now under control.
"When the Police were taking the five arrested accused for weapons recovery near the India-Nepal border, the two accused tried to run away. As they tried to run away, shots were fired. During this, Mohammed Sarfaraz and Mohammed Talib were injured. Abdul Hameed, Fahim, and Abdul Afzal were arrested. A total of five accused were arrested. The situation is under control," UP DGP Kumar said.
He said that further details will be shared by Bahraich police.
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has attacked the state government accusing it of carrying out encounters to cover up their failure.
"This incident was an administrative failure. The government is doing encounters to cover up their failure... If encounters had been improving the law and order of the state, UP would have been way ahead of most states... If permission had been taken for the procession, why wasn't it carried out peacefully? If they cannot handle such a small event, how can one expect them to safeguard law and order in the state... What happened was unfortunate and such incidents should not happen. We will stand with the families of the victims and ensure they get justice... The government is working on the policy of divide and rule. This incident has not just happened, it was planned," Yadav said.
Congress also criticised the Uttar Pradesh government, attributing the violence in Bahraich to the failure of both the state government and the administration.
UP Congress President Ajay Rai stated, "The government has been conducting fake encounters for a long time. They are merely trying to cover up their failures."
SP Bahraich, Vrinda Shukla explained that the police fired in self-defence, injuring the two.
"When the police team went to the Nanpara area to recover the murder weapon, Md. Sarfaraz alias Rinku and Md. Talib alias Sablu had the weapon in a loaded state, which they used to fire at the police. In self-defence, the police retaliated, injuring the two. They are undergoing treatment. We have also arrested the other three accused. All five have been officially arrested, and strict action will be taken against them. A search is underway for the remaining accused," she added.
Ramgopal Mishra was killed, and several others were injured, after clashes between two communities broke out during the Durga idol immersion procession in the Mahasi area of Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday. (ANI)