Kanpur Encounter: Oppn parties slam Yogi govt over law and order situation

After eight policemen were killed and seven were injured in an encounter with assailants, opposition parties have raised questions on the UP govt and have demanded immediate strict action.

Kanpur:Opposition parties, including the Congress and Samajwadi Party, on Friday lashed out at the Yogi Adityanath government over the killing of eight policemen in an encounter in Kanpur, saying no one was safe in the state.

At least eight Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed and seven others injured in an encounter with criminals in Kanpur, officials said on Friday.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday raised questions about the safety of the common people in Uttar Pradesh after eight policemen were shot dead in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district.

"Another proof of hooliganism in Uttar Pradesh. When the police are not safe, how will the public be?," Rahul Gandhi said, quoting a news report. He also extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased police personnel and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

Eight police personnel, including a circle officer, were shot dead and six policemen seriously injured when a local criminal Vikas Dubey and his gang sprayed them with bullets in Kanpur.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the incident and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased.

A massive search operation has been launched to nab Vikas Dubey. The police are also using electronic surveillance. The police have recovered cartridges of AK-47 from the site of the incident.

Opposition parties in the state launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP-government after the incident and lauded the efforts of the brave police personnel. The parties demanded strict action against those who killed the cops.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to Twitter to condole the deaths.

READ: Kanpur encounter: Two aides of gangster Vikas Dubey dead

"Eight policemen were martyred while they went to nab criminals. I pay my condolence to the family of the martyrs. In UP, law and order has become very bad and criminals have no fear. From common man to policemen, no one is safe," she said.

"The responsibility of law and order is with the chief minister. He should initiate strict action and there should be no laxity in it," she added.

The Samjwadi Party said Uttar Pradesh has become "hatya pradesh" (murder state).

"In 'rogi sarkar' 'jungleraj', UP has become 'hatya pradesh', where in Kanpur criminals patronised by those in power attacked policemen killing eight of them," Samajwadi Party said in a tweet.

Taking it to Twitter, SP national President, Akhilesh Yadav, called the incident unfortunate and paid tributes to the policemen who lost their lives in a combating encounter with the assailants.

"This is the most shameful incident in UP's crime in which duty-bound cops paid price for the nexus between criminals and people in power. The criminals should be caught and the present government should be exposed," his tweet read in Hindi.

He also demanded that the Yogi government should provide immediate compensation to the families of the deceased policemen.

Ajay Kumar Lallu, state Congress President also raised questions on the BJP-government over the killing of the eight police personnel, asking that why was the history-sheeter out of jail if he had so many criminal cases against him.

"The encounter in Kanpur shows the presence of 'Jungleraj' in UP," he tweeted in Hindi.

The Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati in her tweet described the incident “sad, shameful, and unfortunate.”

“It is clear that the UP government needs to be more alert and prepared, especially in the matter of law and order,” Mayawati tweeted in Hindi. (With inputs from IANS)