Human rights activists allege that the UP police have been acting outside the law after the encounter with Atiq’s gang and subsequent killings.
The killing of Atiq and Ashraf was unfortunate, but the police acted quickly. We apprehended all three persons involved, alive. A special SIT has been formed to look into it. For the first time, a three-member judicial commission has been formed under the chairmanship of a retired high court judge and includes a retired ADG-level officer and a retired district judge.
There is no partiality in our actions against criminals. Some people allege that a particular community is being targeted. This isn’t true. If you see the list of criminals in the public domain, it is caste-neutral, religion-neutral, and region-neutral.
Would you consider the elimination of Atiq’s gang a warning to other gangs?
Of course. Most dreaded criminals are in jail. They don’t even want to come out on bail.
Any further developments in the case?
We have to account for each and everyone who has committed the crime. There are still criminals at large who killed our policemen. There is a reward of `5 lakh on each.
Atiq Ahmed’s son, Ali, is lodged in Naini Central Jail.
If somebody is in jail we will interrogate them.
Al-Qaeda has threatened revenge for Atiq’s death.
A letter has surfaced on social media alleging that Muslims are persecuted in some states. The agencies are looking into it.
What do you know about Atiq’s letter in a closed envelope his lawyer gave to the CM and CJI?
Any document which has not been routed through jail authorities is of questionable value.
In terms of interference in the working of the police regarding criminals with political connections, what has changed between previous governments and now?
Under this government, there is no protection for any criminal. Our slogan is zero tolerance against crime and corruption. We’re determined to destroy the mafia. We’ve formed an anti-mafia task force that has identified important criminals. Their gang members are being monitored at the highest level. You must have seen that their properties worth crores have either been confiscated or demolished. They had encroached on both government land and private land.
There is a perception that there is widespread corruption in the UP police.
Like we have zero tolerance for criminals, we have zero tolerance for corruption among our own staff. All complaints against policemen are verified to see if they are motivated, and if they are found to be true, immediate action is taken. We have also acted against government officials who have been colluding with criminals by favouring them with tenders, mining permissions, etc. We had 150,000 vacancies in the police and 16,000 fresh recruits have been inducted in a transparent and impartial process. Unlike in previous cases, there has been no court intervention or complaints about recruitment.
In Punjab, connections between the international drug mafia and terrorists have surfaced. Does UP have similar problems?
There are no such specific inputs, but we are vigilant along our 550-odd km long international border, which is porous. We have taken action against drug trafficking and human trafficking across the border. Punjab’s case is different from Uttar Pradesh’s.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath has expressed his intention to make the state a top business destination. Previously, after instances of crimes, kidnappings and murders, there has been fear among businessmen. Has the atmosphere changed to make UP business-friendly in terms of law and order?
A lot of effective action has been taken against the mafia. Now, big investments and systematic government action have created a business-friendly atmosphere in the state.
How are the police managing the communal situation in a sensitive state like Uttar Pradesh?
In the last six years, no communal riot has taken place in the state. We have a system that has over 18 lakh digital volunteers in every ward and mohalla, who constantly keep us informed. For the first time in history, no cognisable case was registered during the Kumbh mela. This was due to the training in soft skills imparted to the police force. We use AI and technological intervention.
Does the CM directly monitor the law and order situation?
He gives broad directions, which we follow. There is no impartiality. We take immediate action against provocative speeches and anyone trying to vitiate the atmosphere.
In spite of surveys that UP is the safest state for women, many incidents of brutal crimes against women, like setting fire to a rape victim, have happened.
Sometimes it depends on how such cases are portrayed. In the Unnao case, the uncle set the house on fire. It is fashionable to show the police in a negative light. Some regions are caste-sensitive and accrue a different colour. We have brought about many changes. The number of women cops has increased threefold.
About 27 departments are working in tandem on Mission Shakti which concerns women’s safety and empowerment. We have created about 10,000 women police beats where policewomen go to villages, listen to the problems of the women and sort them out. Each and every police station has a woman counselling centre and welfare centre.