LUCKNOW Encounters have long been a prominent part of the UP Police’s response to organised crime, gangsters, professional shooters and repeat offenders since Yogi Adityanath became chief minister in 2017. But with the 2027 assembly polls approaching, a sharper pattern has emerged: high-profile crimes that trigger public outrage, particularly those involving women and children, are increasingly followed by intensive police operations and, in many cases, encounters.
Their deaths came barely two days after another encounter in Greater Noida involving Balraj, accused of abducting and murdering a six-year-old Muslim girl. It later expanded to robbery gangs, repeat offenders and suspects accused of attacking police personnel. The pattern extends further back. The approach has faced serious judicial scrutiny. The court questioned a recurring feature of police encounter accounts in which officers remain unhurt while the accused is hit in the legs, often below the knee, asking how officers could so consistently achieve such precise shooting. “The UP Police follows a clear policy of zero tolerance towards heinous crime, particularly offences against women and children as well as organised crime. This goes along with addressing women’s grievances at Mission Shakti Kendra in every police station. Our priority in every case is to identify, arrest and bring the accused to justice through due process. Police personnel are required to act strictly within the law.
The latest was in Shamli, where two alleged sharp shooters, Mohit and Sumit, linked to the August 26 murder of Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Balyan, died during treatment after being injured in an exchange of fire with police early on Monday, according to police. Police said he was killed within 24 hours of the child going missing after he opened fire during an attempt to arrest him. The encounter narrative after 2017 initially centred largely on gangsters, organised crime syndicates, land mafia and professional shooters. In 2026, many encounters followed crimes that generated intense public anger. On August 1, a 12-year-old Class 4 student was allegedly abducted, raped and murdered in Bulandshahr. Police killed the accused, Monu, 35, in an exchange of fire less than 24 hours after announcing a ₹ 50,000 reward for his arrest. On April 20, Ghaziabad police killed Jeeshan, 55, wanted in an alleged rape and murder case involving his four-year-old niece. On May 4, Ambedkar Nagar police killed Aamir, 19, accused of murdering a woman and her four children.
In August, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court ordered a CBI inquiry into an alleged “half-encounter” in Shravasti involving an accused who was shot in both legs. Our message is unequivocal: no criminal will be allowed to operate with impunity, and every crime will receive a swift, professional, lawful and effective police response,” he said.
