Inappropriate to call UP cops ‘trigger-happy’: DGP

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar on Thursday dismissed the allegations about the state police being “trigger-happy” and said the force adheres to strict guidelines and has not faced any criticism from constitutional bodies.

Kumar’s remarks come in response to the recent encounter of Mangesh Yadav, an accused in the Rs 1.5-crore jewellery heist case of Sultanpur district. The encounter has sparked controversy with former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav accusing the BJP of staging fake encounters to target individuals on the basis of caste and religion.

The Samajwadi Party president had on Tuesday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government, saying statistics of encounters during the BJP rule are also statistics of the “injustice of illegal killings” and “injustice done against the PDA”.

DGP Kumar said police personnel engage in encounters only when miscreants fire upon them. “In such situations, when operations are conducted in the favour of justice, misconceptions are spread,” he said during a press conference here about the recent incident of the a jewellery heist in Sultanpur. The DGP said rumours are also circulated that the Uttar Police are “trigger-happy”, adding, “This is totally inappropriate.”

The DGP dismissed the allegations, stating that all police operations are conducted in accordance with Supreme Court directives. He also pointed out that no constitutional body has raised any concerns about the force’s actions.

“It has been made aware and clarified by this headquarters that in all the police operations that take place, the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court are adhered to,” Kumar said. The DGP defended the police’s use of force in encounters, explaining that officers often come under fire from criminals during operations.

He emphasised that the force strives to act within the bounds of the law while maintaining public safety. The robbery in Sultanpur took place on August 28 at Bharat Jewellers in Thatheri Bazaar, Majerganj Chauk.