LUCKNOW: Under full media glare, Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday shot dead two persons, accused of allegedly murdering six persons including two Hindu priests, in Aligarh district.
Local journalists and a television crew in Aligarh district got a call around 6.45 am asking them if they were interested in “watching and filming a real encounter.”
When the media persons reach Machua village which falls under the Harduaganj police station, they saw policemen, wearing bulletproof vests, aiming their guns at the two men, later identified as Naushad and Mustakeem, who were hiding in an abandoned building.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aligarh, Ajay Kumar Sahni, said they have orders from higher authorities to share details with the media. “This is part of our transparent approach and nothing was hidden. Everyone there was free to click pictures or record videos,” Sahini said, reported TOI.
The police chased the duo for about five kilometers when they didn’t stop at the checkpoint and went into hiding in an abandoned building.
The police said that the two men fired at them which retaliated, resulting in an encounter. An additional police force was summoned to deal with the situation.
However, during a press conference in the evening kin of Mustakim and Naushad refute the allegation and alleged that the encounter was fake. Mother of one of them claimed that her son was picked by the police from their home on Sunday morning.
The district police chief added that five more persons had been arrested for their involvement in these six murders that took place in one month.
The police and the state government have been under fire from human rights organizations and under the lens of the judiciary as around 1,000 encounters have taken place in the state since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power.
Sixty-six criminals and four policemen have been killed in these gun battles so far.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has defended these encounters saying criminals cannot be allowed to endanger the lives of innocent and peace-loving people.
With agency inputs