Amid the debate over police encounters in Uttar Pradesh following the State government’s release of data related to such operations, retired Director General of Police-rank officials from the State on Sunday (June 7, 2026) said that through this policy the whole society is “made barbaric”, adversely affecting the growth of the democratic system, fundamentally undermining the criminal justice system and fostering a culture of lawlessness. 

“Our society has unfortunately given social recognition to acts of encounters. During the V.P. Singh regime, a ‘Maro, Maro’ campaign was launched in the early 1980s. But, for the first time in the last nine years, the State under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule has made encounters an instrument of controlling crime,” said Vibhuti Narain Rai, a retired DGP-rank officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre and a 1975 batch IPS officer.

Recalling an incident in a Ghaziabad village, he said, “The mother of the victim demanded that the accused's body be shown to the family after his encounter killing. People are accepting encounter actions as legal, moral acts, which in reality are barbaric medieval practices. Instant justice through encounters is an extrajudicial killing—a black chapter for society. Through such actions, we are making the whole society barbaric, adversely affecting the growth of the democratic system.”

Criticising encounter actions, former U.P. DGP Sulkhan Singh said that through such operations, the State is normalising violence, ultimately creating a climate of vigilantism where society demands extrajudicial killing and demolition of houses. 

“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,” Mr. Singh said.

“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 extrajudicial 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 had, 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 the rule of law,” he told The Hindu.

In a statement issued on May 18, the U.P. government said under its zero-tolerance policy towards crime, the Yogi (Adityanath) 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 17,043 encounter operations, arresting 34,253 criminals, while 11,834 accused were injured. At the same time, while fighting criminals, 18 policemen were martyred, and 1,852 injured,” the statement said, renewing the debate over police encounters under the present government.

The debate intensified after Asad, the main accused in the stabbing of 17-year-old Surya Pratap Chauhan in Ghaziabad, was shot dead in a late-night police encounter on May 30. The family of the victim and several Hindu organisations demanded the immediate arrest of the accused and “encounter” action against them.