UP under 'muscular' model of governance: Chidambaram

The Congress on Friday expressed alarm over the many instances of "police encounters" in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and accused the Yogi Adityanath government in the state of establishing an environment of fear and lawlessness.

Former Home Minister and Congress veteran P. Chidambaram claimed that 78 people were killed by the Uttar Pradesh Police in the last 16 months.

"In 16 months, 78 persons were killed in encounters by the Uttar Pradesh Police. Is this the rule of law under the Constitution of India?" tweeted Chidambaram.

"It is the rule of law under the 'muscular' model of governance offered by the BJP. After Jammu and Kashmir, it is Uttar Pradesh that is the victim of muscular government," he added.

Later addressing the media, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, saying fake encounters were being mainstreamed under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime.

"One can only imagine the state of affairs in Uttar Pradesh where the sole agenda of the elected government is police encounters," he said.

"Inspired by the Gujarat model of police encounters, they are trying to make it a national campaign," said Sharma, referring to a spate of encounter cases in Gujarat between 2002 and 2006.

--IANS

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