Are encounters the lifeblood of power in UP?
Sarfaraz clashed with Tamils, who were accused of shooting Ram Gopal Mishra during the Balaich violence. Both defendants were allegedly seriously injured during clashes with police. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav raised questions about the encounter. Akhilish said the government was using the encounter to cover up its failures. The government wants to serve its own interests by terrorizing a segment of society.
However, this isn’t the first time an encounter in UP has proven to be a lifesaver for Power. Many such situations have occurred in the past, and the ruling party directly benefited from this encounter.
In this particular story, let’s learn more about this encounter and the political stakes it brought…
First encounter with Shukla, CM relieved
The first major encounter in Uttar Pradesh was with Shriprakash Shukla. Shukla, a native of Gorakhpur, was considered one of the biggest criminals in Uttar Pradesh at that time. It is said that at that time, anyone Shukla ordered to be killed was killed. One day, Shukla signed a contract to kill the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh.
After receiving the information from the intelligence agency, Kalyan Singh swung into action and announced the formation of the STF, led by IPS officer Ajay Raj Sharma of UP Police. For the first time, UP has formed a special task force within the police. At that time, all modern facilities were available to the STF.
When Shukla came to know about this, he became very cautious. However, the police and Shukla’s concealment did not last long. On September 28, 1998, Shukla came face to face with STF officials.
The two clashed near Ghaziabad and Shriprakash Shukla was killed. Chief Minister Kalyan Singh breathed a sigh of relief after Shukla was killed.
Mayawati gains power by defeating Dadua Tokia
In 2007, Mayawati came to power in Uttar Pradesh with an absolute majority. As soon as Mayawati came to power, she targeted the then feared bandit Dadua-Thokiya. There are two reasons for the attack on Daduua-Thokiya. Dadua-Tokia is said to be working within Mulayam Singh’s party.
The second reason is Mayawati’s zero-tolerance policy against crime. Mayawati goes all out for Dadua Tokia After receiving orders from the chief minister, the STF started searching for Dadua Tokia. Dadua Tokia’s hideouts are located in Chambal in UP and MP.
After a long struggle, Dadua and Tokia were first killed in an STF encounter. The top leader of the Socialist Party of the Philippines took advantage of Dadua-Toquia’s experience.
Following this encounter, Madhya Pradesh held assembly elections in 2008. Mayawati’s party has made this an issue in Chambal. BSP won 7 parliamentary seats. In 2003, the party won only 2 seats. Even in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Socialist Party of the Philippines managed to win a constituency in Bundelkhand.
BJP benefits from Vikas’ misfortune
Vikas Dubey attacked UP police personnel in July 2020 and died in an encounter. Development issues make headlines for two reasons. First, Vikas was politically active and his influence spread across the Kanpur region.
Secondly, Vikas Dubey killed the police who came to his house. Vikas’ ordeal has increased political activity in Uttar Pradesh. Two years after this encounter, Uttar Pradesh held assembly elections.
In this election, the BJP won 22 of the 27 seats in Kanpur district. In 2017, the BJP won only 20 seats here. While the number of seats fell in Uttar Pradesh as a whole, the BJP’s seat count increased in Kanpur district.
Meet Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad
In February 2023, BJP leader Umesh Pal was murdered in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The names of Atiq Ahmed and his son Asad emerged in the murder case. After the incident, Assad fled. After a political riot, the police went into action and went out to find Assad.
In April 2023, the police learned that Asad was located near Jhansi. When police went to arrest Assad, an encounter began. Assad was killed in the encounter.
Days after meeting Assad, Atiq and his brother were also murdered. Atiq has political clout in Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh. Atiq is also the MP from Pulpur.
In the 2024 elections, the BJP suffered a crushing defeat in Prayagraj and its surrounding Kaushambi and Pratapgarh, but won in Phulpur.
