BSP, SP stage walkout over encounter killing

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) members on Monday staged a walkout in the legislative assembly over the killing of one Mukesh Rajbhar in a police encounter in Azamagarh district on January 26.

Raising the issue during zero hour, BSP MLA Ramachal Rajbhar alleged the police picked up Mukesh from Kanpur and killed him in a fake encounter in Pawai area of Azamgarh.

Demanding a high level inquiry into the encounter, Rajbhar said the state government should order a CBI probe or one by the judiciary or a joint committee of the assembly.

Objecting to the BSP leader’s demand, parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna said a police constable Udaybhan Singh was also injured in the encounter. When the criminal attacked them, the police team fired in selfdefence, he said.

The state police force had lost four personnel in encounters with criminals in Agra, Chitrakoot and Shamli districts, he added.

The state government had ordered magisterial inquiries in the encounters, he said. Action will be taken on the basis of the probe reports, he said.

Senior Bahujan Samaj Party leader Sukhdev Rajbhar said Mukesh was a daily wage labourer. After the police picked him up from Kanpur, his family members informed a cabinet minister in the state government but the police refused to release him, he alleged.

After killing Mukesh in a fake encounter, the police did not hand over the body to his family members, Rajbhar alleged.

The state government should take strict action against the police personnel, he said. A cabinet minister had also demanded CBI probe in the police encounter, he said.

Rajbhar said the state government should order a crackdown on those running big gangs. Leader of opposition Ramgovind Chaudhary (Samajwadi Party) said the state government should order lodging of an FIR against policemen allegedly involved in fake encounters.

‘PLAN TO BRING PETROL, DIESEL UNDER GST’

The state government was planning to bring petrol and diesel under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Stating this, parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna said in the assembly on Monday that after implementation of GST, the government tax collection increased by 20.22% in February. He refuted Bahujan Samaj Party member Umashankar Singh’s claim that revenue collection had declined.