The Uttar Pradesh government has said that state police carried out 17,043 encounters since Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assumed office in March 2017, averaging nearly five police encounters every day.
According to official figures released by the government, 289 alleged “Hardened criminals” were killed during these operations, while 11,834 others were injured. Police also arrested more than 34,000 accused during anti crime drives conducted across the state.
The data further showed that 18 police personnel lost their lives during encounter operations, while 1,852 officers sustained injuries in the line of duty.
Among all police zones, the Meerut Zone recorded the highest number of encounter related deaths. According to the government, 97 alleged criminals were killed in 4,813 encounters in the zone. During these operations, 3,513 suspects were injured and 8,921 arrested.
The Varanasi Zone ranked second, recording 29 deaths in 1,292 encounters, while the Agra Zone came third with 24 alleged criminals killed in 2,494 police operations.
Other major zones included Bareilly with 21 deaths in 2,222 encounters, Lucknow Zone with 20 deaths in 971 operations, and the Ghaziabad Commissionerate with 18 deaths in 789 encounters the highest among all police commissionerates in the state.
The Uttar Pradesh government has defended the crackdown as part of its “Zero tolerance” policy against organized crime and gang activity. Officials claim the operations helped improve law and order and created fear among criminal networks.
However, the encounter policy has remained controversial, with opposition parties and human rights organizations repeatedly raising concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings and demands for greater police accountability.
