Lucknow: Asserting that “policemen are not being given arms just for decoration”, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar said in an interview with ThePrint that criminals in the state are tackled strongly, irrespective of religion or caste.
His comments came in the backdrop of UP being informally called the “encounter state”, with several criminals shot dead or injured in exchanges of fire with the police. ThePrint has reported that over 10,900 encounters took place in the state from 19 March 2017 when Yogi Adityanath took over as UP chief minister to 6 January 2024.
Kumar, however, said that policemen have also died in the gun battles. “We have also lost our soldiers… These are professional hazards. If a criminal is firing on us, we retaliate. Casualty can be from any side,” said the UP DGP.
He further said, “If it is required, we are empowered by law, and there are certain guidelines which have to be followed after every police action.”
Overall, the law-and-order situation has given a lot of relief to common people, said Kumar, adding that that is “reflected in the kind of investment we are getting in UP”.
“The government has a separate model. This model of law and order is famous everywhere,” he added.
Kumar also denied allegations that most encounters in UP target one particular community.
He said the police have been “impartial” in dealing with criminals, adding, “While dealing with criminals, we don’t differentiate. In case of some operation going on, you cannot choose who is from which community and which caste.”
Kumar was appointed the acting UP DGP in January this year. He will serve in the top post for a little over a year before he retires in May 2025. Before this, he had been serving as special DG (law and order) and DG (economic offences wing).
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‘Mukhtar Ansari given all medical help’
With the Lok Sabha polls around the corner, Kumar said UP is prepared for “free, fair, violence-free, peaceful and inducement-free elections”.
The UP DGP also credited increased foreign investment in the state to the improved law and order situation.
Saying that foreign investment in the past five years has been 400 times more than that in the 15 years before, he said, “This shows the confidence of investors in UP, and the main factor is the better law-and-order situation.”
Kumar also pointed out that in the ease of doing business, the state has improved its rank.
“We have a very dynamic political leadership who have given us direction and unwavering support, and there is a clarity of thought in all policy matters, which has resulted in the overall development of the state,” he told ThePrint.
Kumar rubbished the allegations of “foul play” in the death of jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who passed away last month. He said that Ansari, when he was in jail in Punjab, filed affidavits saying he suffered from heart ailments. Though his family has alleged “a conspiracy” to poison him in jail, the hospital where he died said he had a heart attack. Kumar said Ansari was provided with all medical help and aid — “more than 80 times” — since his move to a UP jail.
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‘Walking a tightrope’
Speaking about his public image as a “tough” officer, Kumar said, “When you are dealing with mafias or criminals, who have a criminal history of four decades, and they were never convicted — they were running a parallel government, one has to be very tough with them.”
However, he asserted that at the same time, in any democratic set up, there should be proper checks and balances. The UP Police, he said, has been working under the overall purview of all guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and the national and state human rights commissions.
“All the legal formalities are being done… It’s like walking on a tightrope. Any problem happening will bring a bad name to us,” he added.
Pointing out that UP is the most populous state and also the biggest area-wise in the country, he said, “Managing anything of that nature… it is very challenging.”
The UP Police, he further said, has been dealing with all criminals “with a very firm hand”. “We have taken very strong action against mafias… all the actions are being taken as per law,” he said.
Kumar said that in less than a year, there have been convictions in 31,000 cases related to gangsters, and out of these, 31 cases ended in capital punishment.
“Mafias, with 40 years of criminal record, getting convicted for the first time in the past 1.5-2 years speaks volumes about the effort that the department is making,” he said, adding that the police are also working on protecting witnesses in such cases.
“Fortunately, nothing adverse till date has happened from any constitutional body of this country, and all subordinates really require kudos for that. And at the same time, we are keeping track of any person who goes haywire and deviates from legal routes,” he added.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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