Over 17,000 Police Encounters in Uttar Pradesh Since 2017, Yogi Government Reveals
The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday stated that state police have carried out 17,043 encounters since Yogi Adityanath assumed office in March 2017. The figure translates to nearly five police encounters every day over the last several years.
According to an official statement released by the government, these operations resulted in the deaths of 289 alleged hardened criminals, while 11,834 others sustained injuries during police action.
The government further claimed that 34,253 accused persons were arrested as part of an extensive campaign against organized crime and serious criminal activities across the state.
The statement also highlighted the toll on the police force during these operations. A total of 18 police personnel reportedly lost their lives, while 1,852 officers suffered injuries during encounters conducted across different districts.
Among all police zones, Meerut recorded the highest number of encounter-related deaths.
The government said 97 alleged criminals were killed, 3,513 were injured, and 8,921 were arrested in 4,813 separate encounters in the zone. During these operations, 477 police personnel were injured, and two officers lost their lives.
Varanasi Zone ranked second with 29 criminals killed in 1,292 encounters, while Agra Zone reported 24 deaths in 2,494 encounters.
Officials stated that in Varanasi Zone, 2,426 accused were arrested and 907 were injured, while 104 policemen sustained injuries during the operations.
In the Agra Zone, police reportedly arrested 5,845 criminals and injured 968 during encounter operations. The government added that 62 police personnel were also injured in the zone.
Other regions also recorded significant numbers. Bareilly Zone reported 21 deaths in 2,222 encounters, while Lucknow Zone saw 20 alleged criminals killed in 971 encounters.
Ghaziabad Commissionerate registered 18 deaths in 789 encounters — the highest among all commissionerates in the state.
Meanwhile, Kanpur Zone reported 12 deaths in 791 encounters, and Lucknow Commissionerate recorded 12 deaths in 147 encounters.
Prayagraj Zone saw 11 deaths in 643 encounters, while Agra Commissionerate reported 10 deaths in 489 incidents.
The figures also showed Gautam Buddha Nagar Zone recording nine deaths in 1,144 encounters, Gorakhpur Zone eight deaths in 699 encounters, and Varanasi Commissionerate eight deaths in 146 encounters.
Prayagraj Commissionerate reported six deaths in 150 encounters, while Kanpur Commissionerate recorded four deaths in 253 operations.
The government released the detailed data nearly a week after Uttar Pradesh witnessed 35 police encounters between May 6 and May 7 alone. Those incidents reportedly left three people dead and 35 injured.
In many of these cases, the sequence described by police remained largely similar — suspects allegedly opened fire at officers while attempting to escape, after which police retaliated, often resulting in gunshot injuries to the legs of the accused.
Earlier this year, the Allahabad High Court expressed concern over the growing number of such incidents.
While hearing bail pleas of three accused who were shot in the leg after arrest, Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal observed that police encounters had “become a routine feature” in Uttar Pradesh.
The court further remarked that even in cases involving minor offences like theft, police were increasingly resorting to firing and later presenting the incidents as encounters, allegedly to satisfy senior officials or to intimidate the accused.
