Yogi Adityanath takes on the mafia: 183 criminals killed in encounters since 2017

Weeks after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's 'mitti me mila denge' (We turn them to dust)' warning to mafia, Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday killed gangster-turned-politician Atique Ahmed's son Asad Ahmad and one Ghulam in an encounter. Both were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case. The encounters add to the list of the Yogi government's actions against the mafia in the state. Special DG Prashant Kumar said that in the last six years, 183 criminals were killed in encounters.

"So far 183 criminals have been killed in police encounters since 2017, along with this, 13 policemen have also been martyred," Kumar said in a press conference.

The DG said, "We always had a zero-tolerance policy against all the mafias. We have had extraordinary benefits from this policy. Umesh Pal was killed and our police officers were killed who were protecting that witness."

"Since then the police and formed a special team. Five important people were identified as suspects and we announced prizes for them. Our STF and police teams have been constantly working on this case. Bullets were fired from both ends. They got injured first and then succumed to their injuries," he said.

Both Asad and Ghulam were on the run since the killing of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder of then-BSP legislator Raju Pal. Visuals showed two bodies lying beside a motorbike at the site of the alleged encounter. An ambulance later took them away.

Umesh Pal's wife Jaya had alleged in a police complaint that Atiq Ahmad, his brother Ashraf, son Asad, their accomplice Ghulam and others were behind the killing.

Ahmad, the 60-year-old former Samajwadi Party legislator, was brought to Prayagraj for the second time within a month from Sabarmati jail in Gujarat for hearing in criminal cases related to the kidnapping and murder of Umesh Pal. On Thursday, he and Ashraf were sentenced to five-day police custody in the murder case.