Since 2017 when Yogi took charge, over one killed every fortnight in police encountersPremium Story

The Indian Express | 1 week ago | 26-05-2023 | 11:45 am

Since 2017 when Yogi took charge, over one killed every fortnight in police encountersPremium Story

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has always underlined his crackdown on crime as a key imperative of his governance. To that effect, police encounters and bulldozing of properties of alleged criminals have become the visible symbols of a tough government bent on making Uttar Pradesh “apradh mukt” or crime-free.An investigation of police records by The Indian Express reveals that since March 2017, when Yogi Adityanath took charge, and till date, the state has witnessed 186 encounters. This works out to more than one alleged criminal being killed by the police every 15 days.In these six years, when it comes to police firing to injure (usually in the leg), the number goes up to 5,046 — more than 30 alleged criminals being shot at and injured every 15 days.In the list of 186 killed in police encounters, records show, as many as 96 alleged criminals faced murder cases, two of whom faced cases of molestation and gangrape, and POCSO.Police officials point out that between 2016 and 2022, there has been a sharp dip across the board in crime: 82% drop in dacoity and a 37% drop in murder, as per official records.But few are linking this to encounters. In fact, when asked about these findings, Prashant Kumar, Special DG, Crime and Law & Order, Uttar Pradesh Police (see interview) told The Indian Express: “Police encounters have never been a part of our strategy to control heinous crimes or keep a check on hardened criminals.”Records show that most of the encounter deaths go, effectively, unquestioned and unchallenged.A magisterial inquiry – the mandatory process in every police encounter that results in death – in as many as 161 encounters has been completed and disposed of with no objections raised by anyone, according to records.Significantly, in a magisterial inquiry, the magistrate is required to record the statement of the policemen involved in action and any other people who want to testify, and submit the report with their own findings. In none of the 161 cases (25 still pending), were any adverse comments mentioned in the magisterial inquiry report.Another procedural activity after each encounter relates to lodging of a case against the criminal (s) killed by the police and filing of a closure report in the court. Official records show that the police have filed closure reports in 156 of the 186 encounters. The respective courts have accepted these in 141 cases so far; 15 are pending. In the remaining 30 cases, the police investigation is pending, according to the records.The scrutiny of encounter data shows that almost a third of these or 65 alleged criminals were shot and killed by the police in districts under Meerut zone. The Varanasi and Agra zones accounted for 20 and 14, respectively.In ‘Operation Langda’ (in which an alleged criminal is shot in the leg and injured), the records show that between March 2017 and April 2023, as many as 5,046 criminals were shot in their legs during the encounter. Here again, Meerut zone topped the list with 1,752 wanted accused getting injured due to police firing.When asked why Meerut dominated these lists, Prashant Kumar, Special DG, Crime and Law & Order, Uttar Pradesh Police (see interview) told The Indian Express, “West UP has been traditionally crime prone.”During this six-year period – March 2017 to April 2023, as many as 13 policemen were killed in exchange of fire in the state, and another 1,443 injured. One of 13 policemen killed, and as many as 405 of the policemen hurt are from Meerut zone, according to the records.The first criminal shot dead after Yogi Adityanath took charge as UP Chief Minister was on March 31, 2017. Identified as Gurmeet, he was a resident of Nandanpur village in Nangal police station area of Saharanpur, and killed in exchange of fire. The latest police encounter was on May 14 in which two men, Umesh Chandra alias Kallu, 27, and Ramesh, 40, wanted for the murder of police constable Bhedjeet Singh were killed in Jalaun under Kanpur zone. Police said Singh was allegedly killed on May 9 when he was chasing the two.

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One guard 'missing' after Bihar bridge demolition, says circle officer
The Indian Express | 13 hours ago | 05-06-2023 | 11:45 am
The Indian Express
13 hours ago | 05-06-2023 | 11:45 am

After a 200-metre stretch of an under-construction bridge over the Ganga in Bihar collapsed Sunday, authorities on Monday said that one person working as a guard at the site has been reported missing.“He was a guard with the SP Singla Company. We have been searching for him since yesterday night. SDRF and NDRF teams are also engaged in the search operation. We have not been able to trace the body. We are making efforts to to recover the body at the earliest,” Parbatta Circle Officer Chandan Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.#WATCH | The bridge that collapsed yesterday had collapsed last year also. I have instructed officials to take strict action. It is not being constructed correctly that’s why it is collapsing again & again. The department will look into it & action will be taken: Bihar CM Nitish… pic.twitter.com/Y8m5Zo5Kka— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2023Circle Officer Kumar added that the missing person’s bike is still parked near the pillar where it was yesterday.Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Monday said that the said bridge had collapsed last year as well. “I have instructed officials to take strict action. It is not being constructed correctly that’s why it is collapsing again and again. The department will look into it and action will be taken,” he told reporters.The Bihar government on Sunday clarified that the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bhagalpur had been demolished intentionally, and that no casualties had occurred due to its razing. “It was decided that we must not take any chance and wait for a final report. So we went ahead with pulling down parts of the bridge. It was a part of such a preventive exercise,” Additional Chief Secretary of Road Construction Department, Pratyay Amrit, had said in a press conference with Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.The 3.1-kilometre-long bridge, built by SP Singla Constructions Private Limited at a cost of Rs 1,710 crore, had also collapsed on April 30 last year, raising concerns over its construction.(With inputs from PTI, ANI)

One guard 'missing' after Bihar bridge demolition, says circle officer
BJP, Shiv Sena to jointly contest all future elections in state, including Lok Sabha: CM Eknath Shinde
The Indian Express | 13 hours ago | 05-06-2023 | 11:45 am
The Indian Express
13 hours ago | 05-06-2023 | 11:45 am

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced Monday that the Shiv Sena and BJP have decided to jointly contest all elections including the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, state Assembly and local body polls. This was decided during a meeting between Shinde, Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, and Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.In a tweet, Shinde said, “It was also decided in this meeting that Shiv Sena and BJP will jointly contest all upcoming elections in the state (including elections to Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, local bodies)”.काल, रविवारी रात्री मी आणि उपमुख्यमंत्री @Dev_Fadnavis यांनी दिल्लीत केंद्रीय गृह आणि सहकार मंत्री @AmitShah यांची भेट घेतली.कृषि, सहकार विभागाशी संबंधित विविध बाबींवर आम्ही चर्चा केली. राज्यात शेतकरी, महिला सक्षमीकरण अशा विविध क्षेत्रात गतीने कामे सुरू असून अनेक रखडलेले… pic.twitter.com/MdLoqiPoy2— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) June 5, 2023Shinde said that the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance for Maharashtra’s development is “strong”. “In the future, we will contest elections together and win with a majority to make Maharashtra the number one state in the country in all fields, to continue the race of development,” he added.Several issues of the state including agriculture and cooperation were discussed during the meeting with Shah. Shinde said that pending projects in the state have been streamlined now and they are on way to completion.“We have always received guidance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for various projects. We met Shah to discuss issues related to the cooperation sector,” the chief minister said.The visit comes ahead of the completion of one year of Shinde-Fadnavis led government in the state.

BJP, Shiv Sena to jointly contest all future elections in state, including Lok Sabha: CM Eknath Shinde
Odisha train tragedy: CM announces Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to kin of those killed
The Indian Express | 1 day ago | 04-06-2023 | 11:45 am
The Indian Express
1 day ago | 04-06-2023 | 11:45 am

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family members of those killed in the triple train accident at Bahanga Bazar near Balasore.The assistance will be given from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.The next of kin of the deceased will get an assistance of Rs 5 lakh and those who sustained serious injuries will get Rs 1 lakh as assistance, a statement issued by the CMO said.Patnaik who undertook a on-the-spot inspection of the tragedy on Saturday, has also conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved families and wished speedy recovery of the injured persons.Earlier Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh and the Prime Minister’s Office declared Rs 2 lakh for the families which lost their near and dear ones in the tragedy.According to the preliminary report of the Railways, the Coromandel Express entered the loop line and crashed into a goods train parked there instead of the main line, near Bahanaga Bazar railway station.The triple train accident has left at least 288 people dead and over 1,100 injured.The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train occurred on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar.

Odisha train tragedy: CM announces Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to kin of those killed
Wrestling troublesSign In to read
The Indian Express | 1 day ago | 04-06-2023 | 11:45 am
The Indian Express
1 day ago | 04-06-2023 | 11:45 am

While sitting in the front row during the Prime Minister’s speech in the new Parliament building, Amit Shah received a constant flow of messages from his office. The Home Ministry was giving him the latest updates on the Manipur situation and the Delhi Police’s ugly confrontation with protesting wrestlers, just a short distance from Parliament House.The wrestlers had attempted to break the police cordon and march to Parliament to press for their demand for the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, chief of the Wrestling Federation of India. Seemingly unperturbed by the mounting agitation against him, Singh was active inside Parliament taking selfies with all who would pose with him so that he could post it on social media. Several MPs discreetly moved away when they saw him approaching.BJP Jat MPs in particular kept their distance and were visibly uncomfortable with their party’s failure to act against Singh, as the campaign has gained much momentum in their community, which has produced many sports medalists. Jat mahapanchayats have started demonstrations outside houses of BJP Jat MPs. One Jat parliamentarian who was photographed with Singh was roundly abused as “a traitor”. His frantic explanation, that he was only trying to be polite by acknowledging Singh’s greetings, was found unacceptable.At the inauguration of the Parliament House building, the BJP’s ‘most successful BJP chief minister’, Yogi Adityanath, and its longest-serving, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, were seen engaging in a conversation. Chouhan assured Adityanath that contrary to rumours, the party is confident of a victory in Madhya Pradesh.But the soft-spoken Chouhan is conscious that he is on a sticky wicket in his state that is headed to the polls. He has to combat incumbency built up over 17 years in office and accommodate all factions in the state unit, including the newest BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. Chouhan may have the edge among OBC voters, but has yet to win over the SCs and STs.In contrast to the nervousness in the BJP camp, there was cocky confidence at a meeting of the Congress Madhya Pradesh unit presided over by Rahul Gandhi on Monday. Gandhi noted approvingly that unlike every other pre-election state-level meeting, in Madhya Pradesh, there was only one name mentioned as Chief Minister and there were no internal differences. (His inference was that Kamal Nath’s name was unanimous.) The Congress in-house poll strategist, Sunil Kanugolu, has already predicted a victory for the party.The mood of triumph and jubilation at the new Parliament House inauguration was not marred by a few quibblers. Two BJP MPs asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi why so many random people had been invited. (It was to fill the empty spaces thanks to the Opposition boycott.) An aesthete winced at the shocking bright green and pink hues, the theme colours of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers. Most guests left uneaten the tacky cellophane-wrapped vegetarian sandwiches which were served to the guests. Some BJP MPs enviously questioned the major role given to deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh, though his JD(U) boycotted the event and he is considered a political lightweight. Singh was actually standing in for Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who, like President Droupadi Murmu, outranks the PM in the official order of precedence, and hence discreetly stayed away.The Delightful Mr Daphtary, by Fali Nariman and Vinoo Bhagat, on C K Daphtary, the country’s second attorney general, provides insight into the legal giant’s craft and wit. For instance, Daphtary as Attorney General exercised his authority in ensuring correctness in the judicial process by asking Chief Justice of India P B Gajendragadkar to recuse himself from a land acquisition case because he had an indirect pecuniary interest in the matter.Daphtary insisted on upholding the great traditions of the bar, even though it actually went against his personal interest in the case. Another nugget is that Daphtary during the Emergency had the gumption to demand of Chief Justice of India A N Ray that the crucial bench to decide on the historic preventive detention cases should be based on seniority.A furious Ray questioned how anyone dared to suggest to a Chief Justice how to constitute a bench. Never at a loss for words, Daphtary claimed that Ray’s guru and mentor S R Dass had been requested in the past and not taken it badly. Taken aback, Ray acceded. The authors suggest mischievously that Daphtary had in fact invented the Dass anecdote to put pressure on Ray to feel he should follow Dass’s example. Unhappily, the two senior judges included as a consequence did not live up to Daphtary’s expectations.

Wrestling troublesSign In to read
‘Telangana model’ of governance now available to all, says KCR as state enters 10th year of formation
The Indian Express | 3 days ago | 02-06-2023 | 11:45 am
The Indian Express
3 days ago | 02-06-2023 | 11:45 am

Entering the tenth year of its formation, Telangana, which became the 29th state of the Indian Union when it was carved out of a unified Andhra Pradesh after a six-decade-long people’s movement, is now ready to showcase itself as a model state. On the eve of the statehood anniversary, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who reignited and spearheaded the second phase of the Telangana movement for 14 years, said Telangana’s achievements over the last nine years have been exemplary.While crediting the participation of the people and the state’s development and welfare programmes, Rao said the ‘Telangana model’ of governance is now available to the people of the country. In a statement, the CM said that the people of all states are demanding a government like Telangana and it is a great achievement of the people of Telangana.Here is an inspiring story of the youngest State from India. Telangana, that delivered a century of development in less than a decade!The Telangana growth model envisioned by Chief Minister Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao went beyond solutions and secured the lives of its people. The… pic.twitter.com/f8jHBX41Jl— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) June 2, 2023On Friday, KCR will kickstart the state’s decennial celebrations from the new state secretariat and the festivities will last 21 days. The government will showcase its achievements and the CM urged the public to participate in the celebrations.Turning nostalgic while recalling how the movement was transformed into a democratic struggle by uniting people over the idea of a separate state, KCR recounted the hardships, humiliations and obstacles and the support extended by all. “Nine years ago on June 2, 2014, Telangana became the 29th state of India. It is remarkable that the new state of Telangana overcame all hurdles and thwarted the political conspiracies hatched by the antagonists and stood as a strong developing state in the country. The Telangana state which suffered setbacks is now taking the country forward in all fields,” he said.Meanwhile, Governor Tamilisai Sounderarajan, who does not share the best of relations with the chief minister, will hold the state formation day celebrations at Raj Bhavan. In her message to the people on the eve of the statehood day, Sounderarajan said the day holds immense significance as it commemorates the supreme sacrifices of numerous youths in their quest for a separate Telangana state.pic.twitter.com/boudi65uh7— Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan (@DrTamilisaiGuv) June 1, 2023On the Formation Day of Telangana, my greetings to the people of this wonderful state. The skills of its people and the richness of its culture are greatly admired. I pray for the well-being and prosperity of Telangana.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 2, 2023My greetings to the people of Telangana on Statehood Day! Endowed with forests and wildlife, Telangana is also uniquely blessed with a rich cultural heritage and talented people. This beautiful state is emerging as a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. My best wishes for the…— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) June 2, 2023“The struggle for separate statehood witnessed spirited participation from all sections of society. Throughout its course, this mass movement achieved significant milestones and witnessed countless sacrifices from students and youths advocating for the cause of a separate state. I humbly pay my sincere tribute to the martyrs of the separate Telangana movement, for unwavering dedication,” the governor said. “May the indomitable spirit of Telangana grow stronger with each passing day.”The governor will meet the public and members of civil society organisations at the Durbar Hall in Raj Bhavan between 10 and 11 am.Heartiest greetings to my brothers & sisters of #Telangana on Statehood Day.Tributes to the martyrs and salutations to all who participated in the struggle.I pray for the continued progress and prosperity of Telangana in the coming years. pic.twitter.com/aLoiGZLEZq— G Kishan Reddy (@kishanreddybjp) June 2, 2023The Union Ministry of Culture also will hold a separate event to commemorate state formation day at Golconda Fort. G Kishan Reddy, the minister for culture and tourism and MP from Secunderabad, will hoist the national flag from the fort and kickstart the celebrations. The ministry has also arranged for a special exhibition to showcase the achievements of the Centre during the last nine years. A cultural show planned in the evening here will see the likes of Padma Shri awardee and dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant, noted singer Shankar Mahadevan, and singer Mangli perform along with a host of other artists, the minister said.

‘Telangana model’ of governance now available to all, says KCR as state enters 10th year of formation