Amid the debate over the encounters in Uttar Pradesh, after the State government released figures of such operations, retired Director General of Police rank officials from U.P. on Saturday (June 6, 2026) said through this policy the whole society is “made barbaric”, adversely affecting the growth of the democratic system, adding that these encounter actions fundamentally undermine the criminal justice system and foster a culture of lawlessness.
“Our society has unfortunately given social recognition to such acts of encounters. During the V.P. Singh regime, a Maro Maro [hit hit] campaign was launched in early 1980s. But, for the first time, the State in the last nine years under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule has made encounters an instrument of controlling crime. In a Ghaziabad village, the mother of the victim demanded the accused body must be shown to the family after his encounter. People are accepting encounters as legal, moral acts, which in reality is a barbaric medieval act. Instant justice through encounter, is an extrajudicial killing, a black chapter for the society. Through the action of encounters, we are making the whole society barbaric, adversely affecting the growth of the democratic system,” said Vibhuti Narain Rai, a retired Director General of Police rank officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre and a 1975-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.
Sulkhan Singh, a former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) said through encounters the State is normalizing violence, ultimately creating a climate of vigilantism where society demands extra judicial killing and houses demolition as a satisfaction for base desires of vengeance, promoting ‘vigilantism through police’.
“Encounters and bulldozer actions fundamentally undermine the criminal justice system by bypassing due process, fostering a culture of lawlessness, and eroding trust in law enforcement. These acts turn police into Judges and executioners, violating fundamental human rights and turning democracy into autocracy. This is against the constitutional guarantee of the right to a fair trial by an independent court and the presumption of innocence. The State is normalising violence, ultimately creating a climate of vigilantism where society demands extra judicial killing and house demolition as a satisfaction for base desires of vengeance. This violates the right to life and security, often targeting marginalised populations. Dr B.R. Ambedkar in the constituent assembly, 77 years back, cautioned the State institutions and Indian society of the same evil of popular morality of instant justice, arguing constitutional morality must be defended through rule of law” Sulkhan Singh, a former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), told The Hindu.
On May 18, U.P. in a statement said that under its zero-tolerance policy, the Yogi government has carried out continuous action against crime and criminals in the State over the last nine years, during which 289 dreaded criminals were neutralised in police encounters.
“During this period, the police conducted a total of 17,043 encounter operations in which 34,253 criminals were arrested. A total of 11,834 criminals were injured in these encounter actions. At the same time, while fighting criminals, 18 policemen were martyred and 1,852 police personnel were injured,” reads the statement, renewing the debate over the encounter under the present government.
On May 30, a few days after the stabbing of 17-year-old Surya Pratap Chauhan sparked outrage and protests in Ghaziabad, the main accused in the case, Asad, was shot dead in a late-night police encounter. The family of the victim and several Hindu organisations demanded the immediate arrest and encounter of those involved in the crime.
Published – June 07, 2026 09:36 am IST
