'Yogi's special Thakur force': Akhilesh questions UP's STF encounter killings

Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh questioned the intention of the Yogi Adityanath government behind the encounter killings in the state, while speaking at a conclave organised by News18 on Monday.

Calling the Special Task Force (STF) of the UP Police Yogi's "special Thakur police", Yadav alleged that encounters are being done in the state to eliminate people from certain castes and religion.

He said that when there's a judiciary to punish the criminals, why is the STF unlawfully shooting them, hinting at the encounter of Vikas Dubey and others.

Gangster Vikas Dubey's death in 2020 had put the spotlight on the steep rise in encounters in Yogi's tenure.

Since the time Yogi Adityanath came to power in March 2017, the BJP has been bestowing fulsome praise for his "handling of crime", including "bulldozer justice".

News18 India is presenting the ninth season of its annual summit, Chaupal, today, bringing together key personalities from the fields of politics, sports and entertainment to discuss and shape India’s growth narrative.