By India Today News Desk: The Uttar Pradesh government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against the mafia, Prashant Kumar, Special DG, Law & Order said at a media briefing today. “The result of this policy is before everyone today,” he said, adding that 183 criminals have been killed so far in encounters with the police in the state.

The senior police officer was addressing the media hours after gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad, wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, was killed in an encounter by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) in Jhansi.

Here’s a list of the recent prominent encounters in the state under CM Yogi Adityanath’s rule:

– Gangster Vikas Dubey was killed in an encounter in Kanpur on July 10, 2020. The encounter broke out after a police vehicle carrying Dubey from Ujjain to Kanpur overturned and the gangster allegedly attempted to escape.

– On July 25, 2020, gangster Tinku Kapala, who had a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on him, was killed in a joint operation by the UP Police and the Special Task Force in Barabanki.

Also Read | CM Yogi praises UP STF team after encounter of Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad

– Bangladeshi gangster Hamza was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh police in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar area on October 18, 2021.

– Moti Singh, accused of allegedly murdering a constable from the Sidhpura police station and injuring a sub-inspector in Kasganj earlier, was killed in an encounter by the state police on February 21, 2021.

– On September 30, 2022, gangster Vinod Kumar Singh, with a bounty of Rs 1 lakh, was killed in an exchange of fire with the Jaunpur police.

– A criminal, carrying a bounty of Rs 2 lakh, was killed in an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UPSTF) in Varanasi (rural) on March 21, 2022. Manish Singh, alias Sonu, had 32 cases against his name, including seven cases of murder, five of attempted murder and others of loot, dacoity, robbery.

– Asad, the son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, and Ghulam, the son of Maksudan, wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were killed in an encounter with the UPSTF team at Jhansi today. Both had a reward of Rs 5 lakh each on them.

Also Read | Asad’s killing is tribute to my son, have full faith in CM Yogi: Umesh Pal’s mother

ENCOUNTERS IN UTTAR PRADESH SINCE 2017

As per news reports, in the last six years of the Yogi Adityanath government, the state police have killed 183 criminals or accused in 10,713 encounters across the state, according to official data. Those killed in these encounters were all accused of serious offences.

The UP Police have gunned down 183 listed criminals in encounters since March 2017. Most of them carried cash rewards ranging from Rs 75,000 to Rs 5 lakh on their arrest.

At least one listed criminal has been killed every 13 days in a police encounter in the state in the past six years.

The police have arrested 23,069 people, following encounters between March 20, 2017 and March 6, 2023. Of them, 4,911 were injured. According to Prashant Kumar, during the exchange of fire, 15 police personnel died while another 1,424 suffered bullet injuries.

According to the UP Police dossier, 28 criminals were killed in police encounters in 2017, 41 in 2018, 34 in 2019 and 26 each in 2020 and 2021. 14 were killed in 2022. This year, nine criminals have died in police encounters till March 6.

(With input from Prashant Tiwari)

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