Murder, encounter, 'nalayak aulad', bulldozer: Why Ghaziabad is at the centre of a political storm

THe coming upon of a surmise in a recent dispatch caseful from Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad has led to a deliberate over whether the police action without proper trial was justified, with opposition leaders calling out the chief minister Yogi Adityanath-led government for descending the state into “jungle raj”.The wanted suspect in connection with the May 28 murder of a Class 11 student in Khoda area of Ghaziabad carried a reward of ₹50,000 on his arrest. He was killed in an exchange of fire with police early Sunday, May 31, after allegedly opening fire on a police team that tried to stop him near Vasundhara.The murderAccording to the police, the teenager on May 28 was allegedly called to a street by the suspect and his associates, where an argument over a motorcycle escalated into violence, HT earlier reported. Investigators said the suspect stabbed the boy and fled. The victim later succumbed to his injuries.Assistant commissioner of police (Indirapuram) Abhishek Srivastava told HT earlier that the incident occurred around 3.30pm on May 28.It appears the suspect called the boy over to him, and a verbal argument followed. Soon, the suspect pulled out a knife, stabbed the boy, and fled with his friends., the ACP said, adding that the injured boy’s friends called his family, and together they rushed him to a hospital in Noida, where he succumbed on Friday. The incident led to protests from the people of the other community in the area on Friday. Officials said the 17-year-old was with two friends at the time of the incident.The victim's mother alleged that her son was asked about goat sacrifice before being attacked. "On Eid, a boy tricked my child into calling him. He was asked if he had ever seen a goat being slaughtered, to which he replied no. Then my child was stabbed... I want justice...," the deceased mother told ANI news agency on Friday, June 29.Speaking emotionally about the incident and alleging police inaction, the deceased's mother said, “I was not at home; I was on duty. Someone called me and told me that my son had been stabbed. When I came, I saw my son's face. After that, I did not get to see his face again for half a day. I want justice."Suspect's encounter and politics over itThe prime suspect in the alleged murder of the 17-year-old boy in Ghaziabad was killed in a police encounter early on Sunday after he allegedly opened fire at a police team attempting to stop him near Vasundhara, officials said.Police said the encounter took place around 3.30am when officers received information that the accused, who carried a reward of ₹50,000, was trying to flee on a motorcycle with an accomplice.“Police teams had put up barricades and were conducting checks when the motorcycle was spotted. The riders were asked to stop, but they tried to escape and opened fire at the police team. The police retaliated, during which the prime suspect sustained bullet injuries. His accomplice managed to flee,” an earlier HT report quoted Dhawal Jaiswal, deputy commissioner of police (city), as saying.While chief minister Yogi Adityanath, without naming individuals, referred to the Ghaziabad incident during a speech in Bijnor on Monday and said acts of violence would not be tolerated, the Congress as well as Samajwadi Party (SP) mounted an attack on the state government over the incident.Dosti, kaisi dosti?... Aapne Ghaziabad me dekha hoga, dosti ki aadh me choorebaazi, sweekarya nahi, katayi sweekarya nahi hoga... Agar koi apni nalayak aulad ko samjha nai paa raha hai toh samjho galti kar raha hai [What kind of friendship is this? You must have seen in Ghaziabad, stabbing spree under the pretext of dosti… it is not acceptable at all… if someone cannot make their worthless children understand, then they are committing a mistake]," Yogi Adityanath said. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai raised questions on the government, saying the state has descended into a wave of violence. Rai, referring to the killing of the suspect, said instead of real justice, fake encounters are in focus.“There have been numerous criminal incidents across the state, including in Ghaziabad, where a wrestler—a Tyagi boy—was brutally murdered. This continuous series of murders is actively ongoing. Just recently, a prominent builder was murdered in broad daylight here in Lucknow, a hotelier's son was shot dead in Ghazipur, and another murder has taken place in Jaunpur. What is happening under this administration? Instead of real justice, we see a focus on fake encounters," Rai said."Chief minister Yogi, look at what is happening; from Lucknow to Jaunpur and Ghazipur, innocent people and professionals are being targeted. This entire state has descended into a wave of violence. There is a complete jungle raj prevailing in Uttar Pradesh…,” he said.Maharashtra Samajwadi Party president Abu Asim Azmi said encounters are being carried out in Uttar Pradesh with a “specific religious bias” and added that the same swiftness in action would not be displayed if the victim is a Muslim. “No, this is absolutely wrong... A specific modus operandi has now been established. If they are indeed criminals, then, by all means, they deserve to be punished. If the crime is of a very grave nature, then sentence them to death, but for this very purpose, a Constitution exists, which mandates a specific procedure... However, in UP, it appears to be carried out with a specific religious bias,” Azmi said."If a Muslim is killed by someone, an encounter does not take place quickly... Yet, if a Hindu is killed, whether by a Muslim or a Yadav, an encounter is carried out with great haste. This is not an acceptable approach. You must not drag religion into this matter. Whether the individual is a Muslim, a Hindu, a Sikh, a Christian, a Parsi, or anyone else, the criminal must all be dealt with in the exact same manner, without discrimination...," he added.Meanwhile, the Ghaziabad district administration on Monday initiated proceedings to demolish the alleged unauthorised house of the prime suspect in the Khoda murder, a day after the accused was killed in a police encounter in Vasundhara.Officials pasted a 15-day notice outside the house, stating that the structure had been built on government land and directing the occupants to vacate the premises. The action comes amid a broader crackdown on properties allegedly linked to criminal activities.Three other people have been arrested in the case, including the suspect’s 45-year-old father and two associates, Farhan and Atif, both 19. The father is currently in judicial custody.Sub-divisional magistrate (Sadar) Arun Dixit said a preliminary inquiry conducted by revenue officials found that the house stood on government land.“A notice has been pasted… Preliminary inquiry by the executive officer of Khoda and the naib tehsildar found that the house is on government land. The family had been living there for the past eight years and shifted to a rented accommodation a couple of months ago,” HT earlier quoted Dixit as saying.Officials said the notice was issued under Section 136 of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, which deals with the eviction of encroachers from Gram Sabha land.