UP gangster Anil Dujana killed in encounter

Uttar Pradesh gangster Anil Dujana, who faced dozens of criminal cases, including those of murders, kidnapping and extortion, was on Thursday shot dead in an alleged encounter with the special task force (STF) of the state police in Meerut.

According to the police sources, Dujana, who was out on bail, had threatened some witnesses in a case of murder against him.

Police said he had threatened to kill the witnesses if they testified against him in the court.

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Dujana was intercepted by a STF team near Bhola Jhal area in Meerut and was asked to surrender but he and his gang members allegedly opened fire at the police team in a bid to escape. Dujana was killed in retaliatory firing, police said.

Dujana, who faced as many as 60 cases, including 18 murders, had been released from Tihar jail in Delhi on bail a few days back. “He was trying to reactivate his gang,” said a police official.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hailed the killing and said there was no place for the mafias in the state.

As many as 183 alleged ‘criminals’ had so far been killed in armed encounters with the police in the state since Adityanath took charge in 2017.

Around 10,000 encounters had taken place between the police and the ‘criminals’ in the state in the past six years during which 183 “dreaded criminals” had been killed while 12 cops had also been martyred. Around 5,000 ‘criminals’ sustained injuries during the encounters.

While the opposition leaders have accused the BJP government in the state of targeting only a particular community and turning a blind eye to the criminals who belong to the other communities, the state police have sought to refute the allegation and claimed that it did not act against criminals on the basis of their caste or religion.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav had earlier said that the encounters showed that the state government was trying to 'hide' its failures.