Following Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s thumbs-up a week ago to police encounters in the state, the Uttar Pradesh police have gone on an overdrive. Six criminals were killed across the state today, taking the number of encounters to 85.
On March 23, the CM issued specific directions to turn the heat on criminals and DGP Yashpal Singh had been asked to give ‘‘effective results’’.
Today, the most ‘‘prized kill’’ for the police was Moradabad-based criminal Manoj Tejpal, who carried a reward of Rs 20,000 and was wanted in 16 cases of murder and kidnapping. The encounter in the jungles of Majhola in Moradabad also left an inspector, sub-inspector and a constable seriously injured. In Chitrakoot, the police killed a wanted criminal who carried a reward of Rs 10,000. Four other criminals were killed in Muzaffarnagar and Bijnaur.