BJP avenging Lok Sabha defeat: Akhilesh on second encounter killing

Lucknow, Sept 23 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday termed the killing of a second Sultanpur robbery case accused in a police encounter a "conspiracy" against the future of Uttar Pradesh and claimed the BJP was avenging its Lok Sabha poll defeat in the state.

Anuj Pratap Singh, an accused in the Sultanpur jewellery store robbery case, was gunned down by the Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) in a pre-dawn encounter in Unnao district.

The encounter follows a similar one on September 5, when Mangesh Yadav, another accused in the August 28 robbery, was gunned down by the STF.

The Samajwadi Party president had earlier termed Mangesh Yadav's encounter "fake" and caste-driven, criticising the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government.

Reacting to the latest encounter, Yadav said on X, "The weakest people consider encounters as their strength. Any fake encounter of anyone is injustice. Tarnishing the image of Uttar Pradesh with violence and blood is a big conspiracy against the future of the state."

The former chief minister also accused the ruling BJP of deliberately creating unrest in Uttar Pradesh, anticipating electoral defeat.

"Those in power today know that they will never be re-elected in the future. That is why, before leaving, they want to create such a situation that no one enters or invests in Uttar Pradesh," he said in Hindi.

Yadav also alleged that the BJP was avenging its losses in the Lok Sabha elections.

"The BJP is taking revenge for the way the aware people of Uttar Pradesh defeated it. Those who have no future of their own are the ones who spoil the future," he said. "Condemnable!"

Yadav's statement follows a series of police encounters that have sparked political debate in the state, with opposition leaders raising concerns over the motives and methods of the BJP government.

Separately, in Amethi, Anuj Pratap Singh's father Dharam Raj Singh alleged political motives behind his son's death.

"My son has become a victim of politics. He only had one or two cases against him, yet he was encountered," he said.

"Akhilesh Yadav's wish has been fulfilled, a Thakur has been encountered," he further said, within hours of his son being gunned down.

The father also criticised the "selective action" of law enforcement.

"There are people with 30 cases against them, yet they remain untouched, but someone with only one or two cases is being encountered. This government can do anything," he alleged.

Yadav in the recent past claimed that such encounters were motivated by the accused's "caste" and also dubbed the STF "Special Thakur Force" and "Sar-e-aam Thoko Force".

However, the ruling BJP had said Yadav's jibes were made out of "frustration" while the police denied his allegations. PTI