Mangesh Yadav Encounter Controversy: Uttar Pradesh police again did an encounter, but this time before doing the encounter, the police did some new things. The person who was to be encountered was first declared a wanted criminal. Then within 48 hours, the reward amount on him was doubled. After this, the criminal who was running on a high speed motorcycle in slippers without wearing a bulletproof jacket was shot dead. Yes, this story is of the same encounter of Sultanpur, about which many questions are being raised and the police is being suspected.
28 August 2024, Sultanpur, UP
Some CCTV pictures from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh created a sensation in the entire state. The pictures were something like this. In a CCTV footage, five armed robbers were seen breaking into a jewellery shop and committing a robbery in broad daylight in just 4 minutes. The robbery was worth about Rs 1 crore 40 lakh.
5 September 2024, Sultanpur, UP
But just 9 days after this incident, some more pictures from UP have created such a stir that now the police and the state government are finding it difficult to answer. These pictures taken in the dark of the night are of a police encounter, which is connected to the robbery incident of 28 August, whose pictures were captured in CCTV cameras. In fact, in those new pictures, the police is seen claiming to have killed Mangesh Yadav, an accused involved in the same robbery incident, in an encounter at midnight.
magisterial probe into the encounter
But now, based on the same photographs, such questions have started being raised on this encounter that giving correct and satisfactory answers to them has become difficult for the police. The situation is such that now the government has had to order a magisterial inquiry into the encounter to know the truth of this matter. The allegation is that the police picked up Mangesh Yadav from his house in Jaunpur at around 2:30 am on the night of 2 September, two days before this encounter, and then killed him at midnight on a deserted road.
Claim of encounter between the night of 4 and 5 September
But before we try to find out the truth of these allegations against the police in the incident, let us first talk about the pictures of the encounter, which have put the police in trouble. If the police is to be believed, these pictures are from the time when, on the intervening night of 4th and 5th September, they tried to stop a dreaded dacoit Mangesh Yadav and one of his companions fleeing on a bike in the rural area of Sultanpur. They first fired at the police and then in the retaliatory action, Mangesh Yadav lost his life. While his companion managed to escape taking advantage of the darkness.
Encounter while wearing slippers?
But the way STF DSP DK Shahi and many other police personnel are seen standing at the so-called encounter spot wearing slippers is a big question in itself. The biggest question is that how did the police officers and employees go in such a casual manner wearing slippers to chase a dangerous criminal? How did they chase such dreaded criminals wearing slippers on the muddy road in this rainy season, below the main road? And how did they kill one of the two criminals, Mangesh Yadav, who was going on a bike, with their accurate shooting?
The police don’t even have bulletproof jackets?
If we look at the pictures of that day carefully, we can see that the police did not even have bulletproof jackets at that time. Neither on their bodies nor in their hands. Whereas this is an encounter and just one bullet fired by the criminals can take away anyone’s life. Now let us talk about the FIR filed by the police in connection with this encounter.
In the FIR lodged by DSP sahab himself wearing slippers, the police writes that they had received intelligence information about Mangesh Yadav that he was going to pass through Sultanpur-Jaunpur road. After which the police prepared to surround him, followed all the rules and regulations, even wore bulletproof jackets and then tried to surround the criminal. But the criminals started firing in the dark and then the police, displaying indomitable courage and bravery, killed a criminal Mangesh Yadav. But see the wonder, despite such accurate information and so much preparation, in these pictures of the reality, leave aside the bulletproof jackets, even the slippers are missing from the feet of many policemen including the DSP. That is, something else is written in the FIR and something else is visible on the spot.
Encounter connection of stolen bike?
But apart from these pictures of the encounter, there are many other things in this case which raise questions. And one of those things is this Hero Super Splendor bike lying on the spot. Which the police has shown to be recovered from Mangesh and his companion. There is no number on this bike. But this bike is connected to a Super Splendor bike stolen from Jaunpur on 20 August. Would you believe that the bike which was stolen in Jaunpur on 20 August, its report was written eight days later on 28 August. The day the robbery took place in Sultanpur. And now in the encounter that took place in connection with that robbery, the same Super Splendor bike was seen there. In such a situation, the question is why did the Jaunpur police write the report of bike theft after eight days? The family members are asking whether the police were preparing to show the same bike from Mangesh before the encounter?
Why did Mangesh return to Sultanpur after the robbery?
According to the police, a total of 14 dacoits were involved in the robbery incident that took place on August 28 at a jewellery shop in Sultanpur. They were divided into three groups. Five of them, including Mangesh, went inside the jewellery shop with their faces covered, while the rest were standing ready outside. After this incident, the police arrested three dacoits after an encounter on September 2, while a day after this, i.e. on September 3, the mastermind of this incident and the leader of the gang, Vipin Singh, surrendered himself in the court of Raebareli. That is, the strictness of the police was having an effect.
In such a case, either the criminals would try to run as far away from the crime scene as possible or surrender like the ring leader. At least the common theory says so. But Mangesh’s case is the opposite. If the police is to be believed, Mangesh, a resident of Jaunpur, had gone to Sultanpur to sell a part of the looted jewellery where he had committed the crime. That is, he himself returned to the place where he was in the greatest danger and where the police was searching for him. Obviously, it is difficult to believe this theory as well.
Mangesh was picked up two days before the encounter?
Now let us tell you what the family of Mangesh, a resident of Jaunpur, has to say on this matter? If Mangesh’s family is to be believed, the encounter is completely fake. The family claims that the UP STF people picked up Mangesh from his house at around 2:30 am on the night of 2 September. That is, two days before the encounter. And according to this claim, Mangesh was already in police custody. If the family is to be believed, the police said while leaving that they will release Mangesh after interrogation, but if they make noise or tell anyone about this, then the result will be bad. They remained silent but despite this they took Mangesh’s life.
FIR says something…actually something else!
Not only the encounter, the family members are also denying Mangesh’s involvement in the robbery. Mangesh’s sister has raised the question that how can one person be at two places at the same time. On the afternoon of 28 August, when the robbery took place in Sultanpur, his brother Mangesh had gone with him to pay the school fees. And he was with him from 10 am to 2 pm. In such a situation, how could he be involved in the robbery that took place in Sultanpur, 91 kilometers away from his home i.e. Jaunpur?
Where did Mangesh get two weapons from?
Now let’s talk about Mangesh’s criminal record. In the police records, there were 8 cases of theft and robbery registered against Mangesh including the Sultanpur incident. There was also a case under the Gangster Act. The police had arrested him twice. But despite so many cases, Mangesh had neither shot at anyone nor stabbed anyone. In fact, the police have never found any weapon from him till now.
But despite this, when Mangesh was killed in an encounter, the police said that they had recovered two weapons from him. A 7.65 mm pistol and a .315 bore pistol and some cartridges. Now the question is that how did a person who does not have a single case under the Arms Act in his entire criminal history suddenly get two weapons during the encounter. This track record of Mangesh also does not completely match the story of the encounter.
Where did Mangesh get these valuables from?
Now take a look at Mangesh Yadav’s house in Jaunpur. Obviously these pictures show that the financial condition of Mangesh’s family is not very good. But surprisingly the things recovered by the police from him near the so-called encounter are very high profile. These include an American Tourister bag, 3 branded T-shirts, two branded half pants. The police have also said that four kg of silver has been recovered from him out of the 70 kg of silver looted from him. But the recovered items also do not match the profile of the family. And hence this is also under question. It is another matter that despite so many questions being raised on this encounter, the stand of UP DGP Prashant Kumar on this matter is different. And he is trying to blow all the questions away.
Overall, this entire case which started with a few pictures of the encounter is now surrounded by questions. But no one knows when and how this case will be resolved. No one knows this.
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