The killings Asad Ahmed and co-accused Ghulam by the Uttar Pradesh police drew sharp reactions from the opposition, including the SP and BSP, who demanded a probe into the matter while drawing parallels to the Vikas Dubey encounter.

The ruling BJP, however, hailed the action as yet another example of the state’s tough stance on crime and the chief minister keeping his word that the mafia behind Pal’s murder will be decimated.

A political row erupted when the BJP hit back at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav‘s comments alleging a fake encounter, accusing him of appeasement politics and reiterating his party’s former links with Atique Ahmed. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi dubbed the encounter as one driven by religious discrimination.

Since 2017 till March 16 this year, 179 criminals have been killed in UP in police encounters. While 37% of those killed between 2017 and 2020 were Muslims, between 2020 and March 16, 66 encounter killings took place, 18% of them being Muslims. The community comprises about 20% of the state’s population.

“People who carried out such a heinous crime had to meet this fate. While we were all waiting for them to be hanged on the basis of legal procedure, when they shot at police they (the police) had to shoot back which led to their killing,” deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya told media persons. He said a message has gone to criminals of such an ilk that in a “new UP of a new India”, no criminal will be saved.

Yadav said that by committing fake encounters, the BJP government is distracting the public from real issues. “BJP does not believe in courts. There should be a thorough investigation into today’s as well as recent encounters and defaulters should not be spared. It is not for the government to decide what is right and wrong. BJP is against brotherhood.”

BSP chief Mayawati too questioned the encounter and said people think that whatever they thought of a repeat of what happened with Vikas Dubey has been proved right, which is why a high level probe should be carried out of the entire incident so that the truth can come out in front of the public.Speaking at a gathering in Nizamabad, Owaisi drew parallels with the murder of two Muslim men – Nasir and Junaid – in Haryana for accusations of cow smuggling.