On Saturday, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police of conspiring to kill Mangesh Yadav in an encounter earlier this month.
Yadav claimed that the police deliberately orchestrated Mangesh’s killing. He addressed reporters after meeting Mangesh’s family on Friday to learn their side of the story. According to Yadav, the family believes that Mangesh was forcibly taken from his home and murdered.
Akhilesh Yadav criticized the police, suggesting that people might be forced to make statements under pressure or duress. Mangesh Yadav, in his early twenties, was shot by the UP Special Task Force on September 5. The police suspected him of being involved in a jewellery store robbery in Sultanpur on August 28.
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Yadav’s allegations come amid increasing controversy over police encounters in the state. On Friday, he broadly criticized the BJP, equating them with criminals and mocking their slogan “Inko maaro joote chaar” (Hit them with shoes). He also alleged a land scam in Ayodhya, claiming that not only land but also ponds were illegally seized. He sarcastically called the BJP the “Bharatiya Jameen Party” to emphasize his point.
Furthermore, Yadav discussed the failed SP-BSP alliance, which he believes could have reshaped national politics but collapsed due to deceit. He also noted that elections in Kashmir, held for the first time since the removal of Article 370, present an opportunity for the Samajwadi Party to gain national prominence.
The press conference took place at the Samajwadi Party headquarters in Lucknow, where Yadav honored litterateurs, poets, and journalists on Hindi Diwas.
