A 90-minute gunfight in which the Uttar Pradesh police shot dead two criminals in Aligarh Thursday morning was captured on video after local media reached the spot but the administration insisted they hadn’t been invited.
“The encounter continued for about one and half hour and local media reached and might have filmed from a distance whatever they could visualise,” said superintendent of police (Rural), Aligarh, Manilal Patidar following media reports that journalists were “invited” before the shooting and allowed to film it.
The two men - Naushad and Mustaqim - carrying cash reward of ₹25,000 each on their heads, were wanted for at least six murders in the district last month, police said. Among the victims were two Hindu priests and four farmers.
“The encounter took place at Machua canal in Harduaganj area of Aligarh district at 6:30 am when the police team was fired upon. A policeman was also injured in the gunfight,” said superintendent of police (Rural), Aligarh, Manilal Patidar.
“These two criminals were changing their locations after committing crimes in Atrauli, Harduaganj, and Pali Mukeempur and were involved in many murders. They had robbed a man of his motorbike last night in Aligarh,” Patidar said.
{{/usCountry}}“These two criminals were changing their locations after committing crimes in Atrauli, Harduaganj, and Pali Mukeempur and were involved in many murders. They had robbed a man of his motorbike last night in Aligarh,” Patidar said.
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Police sent the bodies of the two men for post mortem to Aligarh district hospital and informed the district magistrate.
More than 60 criminals have been killed in police encounters since the Yogi Adityanath-led government took charge of the state in March last year. Four policemen have been killed and over 500 people have been injured in these operations that took place in various districts.
Earlier this month, UP’s Director General of Police OP Singh said that police encounters are part of a well chalked out “strategy” to arrest hardened criminals in the state.
In July, the Supreme Court had sought a response from the UP government over a plea seeking a a court-monitored CBI or SIT probe into the alleged encounter killings in the state by the police. The PIL was filed by NGO People’s Union for Civil Liberty (PUCL).