Across sixteen districts of Uttar Pradesh over two days in early May, state police conducted 35 operations that left three people dead, dozens wounded, and more than sixty in custody — a concentrated assertion of institutional force against organized crime networks that has become a defining feature of the state's governance since 2017. The encounters, stretching from Muzaffarnagar to Varanasi, reflect a long-running tension between the state's declared zero-tolerance posture and the deeper questions any society must ask about the boundaries of policing power. That Uttar Pradesh's crime rate s
UP Police conduct 35 encounters in two days; 3 killed, 36 injured
Three people killed, 36 injured in police encounters; four police personnel also sustained injuries during operations.
Three killed, 36 wounded across 35 operations in two days
Mark
What exactly happened in these 35 encounters? Were they all shootouts?
Mimi
Not all of them. Police say in most cases the suspects opened fire first or resisted arrest, which prompted police to shoot back. But the outcome varied—some people were arrested without incident during search operations.
Luke
That's important to note. Police are saying the suspects fired first, but we're getting that from police accounts. We don't have independent verification of who fired first in each case.
Mark
What about the three people who were killed? Do we know much about them?
Mimi
Two were from Rajasthan, part of what police call the Bawaria gang. They were wanted for a robbery where a family was held hostage. The third was accused of kidnapping and murdering a seven-year-old child. All three had rewards on their heads.
Luke
Yes, but again—these are allegations. The men are dead, so we can't hear their side. We know they had criminal records, but the specifics of what happened in each encounter come from police statements.
Mark
How many police were hurt?
Mimi
Four officers sustained injuries across two separate incidents. Two were shot in Mathura during the Bawaria gang operation, one in Hardoi. All were reported to be in stable condition.
Mark
And the broader context—why now? Why this intensity?
Mimi
The state government released crime statistics showing UP's crime rate is actually lower than the national average. Police are using that as evidence their approach is working. The DGP called it sustained effort—modernized stations, specialized units, pressure on organized crime.
Luke
That's the official framing. But we should be careful about causation. A lower crime rate could reflect many things—better reporting, demographic shifts, economic factors. Police are attributing it to their enforcement strategy, but that's one interpretation.
Mark
What happens next?
Mimi
Police say they're focused on improving investigation quality and conviction rates. The DGP emphasized speedy prosecution. But these operations seem to be ongoing—this was just two days in May.
Luke
And that's the question nobody can answer yet: whether this intensity is sustainable, whether it actually reduces crime long-term, or whether it's a cycle of operations that looks good in statistics but doesn't address root causes.
Le Pouls
- In just 48 hours, 35 separate armed confrontations erupted across UP's interior, signaling not isolated incidents but a coordinated, state-directed surge against criminal networks.
- Two Bawaria gang members with a combined 27 criminal cases between them were killed in Mathura after police say they opened fire during an arrest attempt tied to a home-robbery case; a third man wanted for the murder of a seven-year-old was killed in Hardoi under similar circumstances.
- Thirty-six suspects were shot — most in the legs during flight or resistance — while four police officers sustained injuries, underscoring that these operations carry real physical cost on both sides.
- Muzaffarnagar alone saw seven encounters, ten injured suspects, and eleven arrests, with several detainees linked to Punjab Police warrants, revealing how these networks cross state lines.
- State leadership is framing the sweep as proof of a modernized, data-backed enforcement strategy, pointing to NCRB figures showing UP's crime rate well below the national average — even as the cumulative toll of encounter killings since 2017 climbs past 270.
Across sixteen districts of Uttar Pradesh over two days in early May, state police conducted 35 operations that left three people dead, dozens wounded, and more than sixty in custody — a concentrated assertion of institutional force against organized crime networks that has become a defining feature of the state's governance since 2017. The encounters, stretching from Muzaffarnagar to Varanasi, reflect a long-running tension between the state's declared zero-tolerance posture and the deeper questions any society must ask about the boundaries of policing power. That Uttar Pradesh's crime rate sits below the national average offers one kind of accounting; the 272 people killed in encounters since 2017 offers another.
Over the course of May 6 and 7, Uttar Pradesh Police launched 35 operations spanning 16 districts — from the western edge of the state near Muzaffarnagar to the eastern reaches around Varanasi. When the two days were over, three people were dead, 36 wounded, and more than 60 in custody. State police chief Rajeev Krishna framed the sweep as consistent with UP's zero-tolerance approach to organized crime, noting that the state's crime rate of 180.2 per 100,000 residents remains well below the national average of 252.3.
Two of the deaths came in Mathura, where officers moved to arrest members of the Bawaria gang in connection with a robbery in which a family had been held hostage and stripped of jewelry and valuables. The two men — Rajendra, known as Pappu, and Dharmveer, known as Lambu, both from Rajasthan — opened fire, police said, and were shot and killed. Between them they carried 27 registered criminal cases and individual rewards of 50,000 rupees each. Two officers were also wounded in the exchange. The third death occurred in Hardoi, where a man wanted for the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of a seven-year-old boy was killed at a vehicle checkpoint after allegedly firing on police; a sub-inspector was shot in the hand.
Beyond the fatalities, 36 suspects were shot — most in the legs while attempting to flee — and another 20 were arrested without injury during separate search operations. Muzaffarnagar saw the densest activity, with seven encounters producing ten injured suspects and eleven arrests tied to robbery, dacoity, and mobile theft, several of them wanted by Punjab Police. Four officers in total were injured across the two days and reported in stable condition.
The operation does not stand alone. Since 2017, official figures show UP Police have killed 272 people and injured more than 11,000 in encounters, while over 85,000 individuals have faced action under the Gangster Act. Krishna's statement positioned the encounters as one instrument within a broader strategy that also includes improving investigation quality and conviction rates — an acknowledgment, perhaps, that force alone does not close the ledger.
Over two days in early May, Uttar Pradesh Police conducted 35 separate operations across 16 districts, leaving three people dead, 36 wounded, and more than 60 in custody. The sweep, carried out on May 6 and 7, targeted what police described as organized criminal networks operating across the state's interior—from Muzaffarnagar in the west to Varanasi in the east, touching districts like Mathura, Hardoi, Bareilly, and a dozen others in between.
The operations were framed by state leadership as an expression of zero-tolerance policy. Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna issued a statement positioning the encounters within a larger narrative of crime control, citing recent data from the National Crime Records Bureau showing Uttar Pradesh with a crime rate of 180.2 per 100,000 residents—below the national average of 252.3. Krishna attributed the state's lower rate to modernized police infrastructure, specialized units focused on women's safety, and sustained pressure on organized crime.
Two of the three deaths occurred in Mathura during an operation targeting members of the Bawaria gang. Police identified the dead as Pappu, also known as Rajendra, and Dharmveer, also known as Lambu, both from Rajasthan. According to Mathura's senior superintendent of police, Shlok Kumar, the two men opened fire when officers moved to arrest them based on intelligence about a robbery in which a family had been held hostage and robbed of jewelry and valuables the previous month. Both men carried individual rewards of 50,000 rupees. Police records showed Rajendra faced 11 criminal cases across jurisdictions; Dharmveer faced 16. In the exchange of gunfire, both were shot and pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Two police officers were also injured.
The third death occurred in Hardoi district. Police said the accused, identified as Menoor or Mehnuddin from neighboring Kannauj, was wanted for kidnapping, sexual assault, and the murder of a seven-year-old boy. He also carried a 50,000-rupee reward and faced roughly a dozen registered cases. According to Hardoi's superintendent of police, Ashok Kumar Meena, the man opened fire during a vehicle checkpoint, prompting police to return fire. A sub-inspector was shot in the hand during the confrontation.
Beyond the three deaths, 36 additional suspects sustained bullet injuries—police records indicate most were shot in the legs during attempts to flee or resist arrest. Another 20 suspects were arrested without injury during separate search and combing operations. Four police personnel sustained injuries across two separate incidents and were reported to be in stable condition. Muzaffarnagar accounted for the highest concentration of activity, with seven encounters resulting in ten injured suspects and eleven arrests. Those operations targeted robbery, dacoity, mobile phone theft, and related crimes; several of those arrested were wanted by Punjab Police or carried cash rewards.
The scale of the two-day operation sits within a longer trajectory. Since 2017, according to official figures, Uttar Pradesh Police have killed 272 people and injured more than 11,000 in encounters. More than 85,000 individuals have faced action under the Gangster Act, while 977 have been charged under the National Security Act. Krishna's statement emphasized that the police force was also focused on improving investigation quality and conviction rates, framing the encounters as one element of a broader enforcement strategy.
Citations marquantes
The police action is fully aligned with the government's zero-tolerance policy against crime. No criminal activity will be tolerated, and those involved will continue to face strong and swift action.— Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna
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Politics & Governance