Rahul Gandhi targets PM Modi's Constitution gesture over Sultanpur encounter: ‘Your govts tearing it to pieces’

Rahul Gandhi demanded that all suspicious encounters in Uttar Pradesh should be investigated impartially.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following the killing of Mangesh Yadav, a wanted criminal involved in a high-profile robbery in Sultanpur, in a police encounter.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that in BJP-ruled states, the very people who are responsible for implementing the law and Constitution are violating them.

In a strongly worded post on X, Gandhi accused the BJP-led government of undermining the rule of law and condoning extrajudicial actions.

"In BJP-ruled states, the 'law and constitution' are being flouted by those who have the responsibility to enforce them," Gandhi wrote.

He argued that Yadav’s killing in a police encounter is emblematic of the BJP's disregard for the 'rule of law'.

What happened in Sultanpur encounter

Mangesh Yadav, a criminal with multiple charges, was gunned down in a police encounter in the early hours of Thursday. According to police, he was involved in a ₹1.5 crore robbery at a jewellery store in Sultanpur in late August and carried a reward of ₹1 lakh on his head. Police officials claimed that Yadav was killed in retaliatory firing by a Special Task Force (STF) team led by two senior officers.

However, Gandhi raised concerns about the increasing number of encounters under the BJP's rule in Uttar Pradesh, accusing the Special Task Force (STF) of operating like a "criminal gang" under the BJP’s watch.

"A professional force like the STF is being run like a 'criminal gang' under the BJP government, on which the silence of the central government is their clear consent to this 'Thoko Niti' (shootout policy)," he said, adding that multiple encounters by the STF have come under scrutiny, yet no action has been taken against the officers involved.

"The tears of Mangesh's family are asking a question to the whole country—who will live and who will not, will this be decided by the court or the police?" he asked, calling for an impartial investigation into the encounter.

"All the suspicious encounters in Uttar Pradesh should be investigated impartially and justice should be done."

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said that touching the Constitution with the forehead in front of the cameras is just a pretence “when your governments are openly tearing it to pieces”.

Mangesh Yadav’s death is the latest in a string of encounters in Uttar Pradesh, where police have intensified crackdowns on criminals, often resulting in deaths. The opposition leaders have repeatedly raised concerns over the legitimacy of these actions.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of manipulating the police and judiciary to target individuals based on caste. He alleged Mangesh Yadav was killed intentionally in an encounter because of his caste while the prime accused Vipin Singh strategically surrendered in connivance with the police and the three other accused were shot in the legs in a fake encounter.

“Fake encounters turn the protector into a predator. The solution is not fake encounters, but real law and order,” he posted on X.