Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Friday said that 166 criminals have been killed and 4,453 injured in police shootouts in the last five years, PTI reported.

Adityanath claimed this was the result of his government’s “zero tolerance” against crime which has ensured that no criminal remains free in the state as they are either in prison or have been killed, reported The Indian Express.

Addressing the Police Memorial Day Parade in Lucknow, the chief minister said that 13 police personnel were also killed and over a thousand suffered injuries in the last five years.

“I assure the families of the martyred policemen that the government has always been taking all necessary steps with full sensitivity for their welfare and fulfilment of all their needs and will continue to do so,” Adityanath said, according to PTI.

Since 2017, the Uttar Pradesh police have been involved in hundreds of gunfights with alleged criminals.

While police officials claim that they only ever fire in self-defence or when it is imperative to make arrests, critics have alleged that the shootings are staged and have the sanction of no less than the chief minister himself.

Read: ‘Thok do’: Adityanath government’s ‘zero tolerance’ of crime leaves a trail of victims


In most cases, according to police case diaries, the gunfights begin with purported criminals “shooting with the intention to kill” in a bid to escape.

In July 2021, a group of 87 former bureaucrats had criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Uttar Pradesh administration for the “blatant violation of rule of law” and the breakdown of governance.

“The encounter campaign led by Adityanath crosses new lines, because data shows that most of those killed in these encounters are either petty criminals or innocents, against whom no charge has been proven,” the bureaucrats had said in an open letter. “They are also predominantly Muslims, Dalits and other backward castes.”

Between 2017 and 2020, around 37% of those killed in police encounters were Muslims. The community accounts for less than 20% of Uttar Pradesh’s population.

In Friday’s speech, Adityanath also said that 244 new police stations have been established and 133 police outposts have been set up in the state during his tenure.

He announced that the director general of police would now clear medical bills of up to Rs 5 lakh for police officials, which was earlier approved at the government level causing delay, reported PTI.

Also Read: How the Adityanath government created a new category of criminals in Uttar Pradesh

Caste violence endures in UP – but escapes Adityanath government’s ‘crackdown’ on crime