Uttar Pradesh saw 17,043 police encounters under Yogi Adityanath in 9 years, government data says; Meerut, Varanasi top list | Today’s news

Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh has “neutralized” 289 dreaded criminals in encounters with the police in the last nine years, an official statement has revealed. Police have killed 23 alleged criminals in clashes in the first five months of 2026 so far.

Since 2017, when Yogi Adityanath first became the chief minister, the police have conducted 17,043 encounters and arrested 34,253 criminals, the statement said. According to the government’s zero tolerance policy, as many as 11,834 criminals were injured in these encounters.

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17,043 meetings in nine years is about five meetings every day in Uttar Pradesh, according to government data.

Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 19 March 2017 after the BJPs landslide victory. The BJP won again in 2021 and Adityanath was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second time,

During this period, 18 policemen were martyred and 1,852 were injured, the statement said.

Meerut in West UP tops the list of encounters

The highest number of encounters were recorded in Meerut zone where the police conducted 4813 operations. During these actions, 8,921 criminals were arrested and 3,513 criminals were injured. 97 notorious criminals were killed on the spot.

During the encounter in Meerut zone, 477 policemen were injured while two policemen were martyred in the line of duty. Meerut Zone stood first in the entire state in the meet event.

As many as 1,292 encounters took place in the Varanasi zone in which 2,426 criminals were arrested and 29 criminals were neutralized in the encounters. During this period, 907 criminals and 104 police officers were injured, the statement said.

Agra Zone ranks third in the entire state in encounter operations. Here, 2,494 encounters were conducted, during which 5,845 criminals were arrested. During this period, 968 criminals were injured and 24 criminals were neutralized. A total of 62 police officers were injured in the clashes.

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According to the encounter data, 21 dreaded criminals were killed in 2,222 encounters in Bareilly zone, while 20 criminals were killed in 971 encounters in Lucknow zone. In Ghaziabad Commissionerate, 18 criminals were killed in 789 encounters, the highest among all commissionerates.

In Kanpur zone, 12 criminals were killed in 791 encounters, while 12 criminals were killed in 147 encounters in Lucknow Commissionerate and 11 criminals were killed in 643 encounters in Prayagraj zone.

Similarly, 10 criminals were neutralized in 489 encounters in Agra Commissionerate, 9 out of 1,144 encounters in Gautam Buddha Nagar, 8 out of 699 encounters in Gorakhpur zone, 8 out of 146 encounters in Varanasi Commissionerate, 6 out of 150 encounters in Prayagrajs Commissionerate in 25 were neutral and Crime Commissioners in Kanajpur were 3 neutral. commissariat.

Yogi government’s zero tolerance policy

“Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the UP Police has implemented a zero tolerance policy for the last 9 years. This has increased fear among criminals and strengthened the sense of security among the general public. This is why the state’s law and order is being appreciated at the national level,” the press release said.

The UP Police under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has implemented a zero tolerance policy in practice for the past 9 years.

Along with the meetings, provisions related to attachment of property, measures under the Gangster Act and laws like NSA were effectively implemented. Under the ‘zero tolerance’ policy of the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh, this nine-year campaign against criminals not only reflected in numbers but also succeeded in establishing rule of law on the ground.

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“The swift, strict and bold action of the police forced the criminals out of the state and Uttar Pradesh further strengthens its identity as a fear-free and safe state,” the press release said.