Strongly defending the action of his men, Uttar Pradesh DGP O P Singh has said that police encounters are part of a well chalked out "strategy" to arrest hardened criminals in his state.
The top cop said at least 63 such criminals have been killed in police encounters since the Yogi Adityanath-led government took charge of the state in March last year, even as four policemen have been killed and over 500 people were injured in these operations that took place in various districts.
"Encounters are part of crime prevention. The fact is that this is a not a state policy, but a police strategy. We do not call it encounter but police engagement. We are engaged with the criminals in a very professional and strategic manner.
"There have been about 62-63 police engagements in which the criminals have been killed but rest of them have resulted in either arrest or apprehension," Singh told PTI during a recent visit to the national capital.
The director general of UP police said criminals who have been engaged by the state police in encounters "are either wanted criminals or the ones who have been at large for a long time and have indulged in heinous crimes."
When asked if the police force was looking at registering big numbers vis-a-vis encounters, Singh said, "We have never gone in for quantity but always for quality."