Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Raut backs Adityanath on encounters; says no question of caste, religion if UP CM wants to end mafia raj

Backing Yogi Adityanath over the encounter of gangsterturnedpolitician Atiq Ahmads son Asad Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said if the Uttar Pradesh chief minister wants to end mafia raj then there should be no question of caste and religionCriminals and terrorists have no caste or religion he said adding that those who have suspicions on such police action can always approach courts for remedial measuresAs per UP police Asad and his associate Ghulam both accused in the February 24 murder of Umesh Pal a key witness in the 2005 killing of then BSP MLA Raju Pal were shot dead after they opened fire at a Special Task Force team that had encircled them in Jhansi on ThursdayThe murder of Umesh Pal and the brazen manner in which it was carried out had cast a shadow on Adityanaths assertions that law and order had vastly improved in UP under Bharatiya Janata Party rule leading to him swearing in the Assembly there that he would wipe out the mafiaYogi ji Adityanath has said since the beginning that he will end mafia raj in Uttar Pradesh If the CM has said he wants to end mafia raj then there should be no question of caste and religion Raut told reportersCriminals and terrorists have no religion or caste But if anyone is killing extraconstitutionally or brutally then the doors of the courts are open the Shiv Sena UBT Rajya Sabha MP addedHe however also taunted the Adityanath government by claiming the people of Uttar Pradesh as well as those in power there were of the opinion that mafia raj prevails in the northern stateThe UP CM has announced he will destroy mafia raj If Uttar Pradesh really has mafia raj and for that if the police have to take weapons in their hands then it is a question on that government he saidUmesh Pal a key witness in the 2005 murder case of then BSP MLA Raju Pal and his two police security guards were shot dead outside his home in Prayagrajs Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this yearAlso readMaha BJP chief says Rahul must apologise for Savarkar remarks before entering state Congress hits backBased on a complaint lodged by Umesh Pals wife Jaya Pal a case was registered on February 25 against Atiq Ahmad his brother Ashraf son Asad Ghulam and othersThe Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have demanded an investigation into Thursdays encounterIncidentally on Friday the UP police said they had gunned down 183 alleged criminals in encounters in the six years of Yogi Adityanaths government including AsadAs per UP police data more than 10900 police encounters have taken place in the state since March 2017 when Adityanath took over as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the first timeIn these encounters 23300 alleged criminals were arrested and 5046 were injured while 13 policemen were killed and 1443 injuredThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever