Amitabh Thakur, former IPS officer and President of Adhikar Sena, has criticized the Uttar Pradesh government's list of Mafia and criminals, calling it arbitrary and politically motivated. Thakur claims that the list is selective and many names have been omitted due to political reasons despite their serious criminal offenses.

Exposes omissions in government's list of criminals

Thakur has exposed omissions of serious criminal offenders from the list, including Sushil Singh, a sitting MLA with more than 25 cases against him, and Ajay Mardah, a convicted double murderer with an equally extensive criminal record. Similarly, Sujit Singh Belwa, with dozens of cases against him, and Upendra Singh Guddu, an accused in the murder of Manisha Koirala's manager and an associate of Abu Salem, have somehow managed to evade the government's list.

Thakur also pointed out that the names of Varanasi-based criminals Indra Dev Singh, Sunil Yadav, and Azim, have not been included in the list. His accusations raise questions about the government's commitment to tackling crime in Uttar Pradesh.

UP government's list of criminals: Opposition party leaders dominate

Prashant Kumar, Special DG Law and Order, told the media that the UP police has prepared a list of 61 criminals as a part of their crackdown on liquor mafia, forest mafia, illegal sand mining, cattle smuggling, among other things. However, the list allegedly contains several names of individuals with long-standing associations with opposition political parties. Some of the names mentioned include:

Rizwan Zaheer: A member of parliament from Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, and a Samajwadi Party leader with 14 cases against him for murder and rioting.

Anupam Dubey: Associated with the BSP and from Farrukhabad with 41 cases against him, including the murder of SHO Ramniwas Yadav in 1996.

Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari: A five-time MLA who has been associated with both the BSP and SP, has spent 18 years in jail for the murder of Krishananda Rai, a BJP MLA. He is currently in jail in Banda and his brother, Afzal Ansari, is a BSP MP.

Jugnu Walia: An aide of Mukhtar Ansari and currently on the run, has been accused of a murder in the Alambagh area of Lucknow.

Haji Iqbal Qureshi: A Mining Mafia from the Saharanpur area, belonging to the Bahujan Samaj Party and a former MLC.

Former IPS Officer Claims Yogi Government Fails to Deter Criminals

In a conversation with The Mooknayak, former IPS S.R. Darapuri revealed that most governments shield criminals belonging to their political party, and the Yogi government is no exception. " Too much leniency and lack of action against the offenders associated with the ruling party encourages the worsening of the mafias" he said. Darapuri believes that bulldozing properties of opposition party members will not be enough to eradicate the mafia but necessary actions must also be taken against those from the ruling parties.

Darapuri cited the recent Atiq Ahmed murder case to support his claims. Instead of being intimidated, the mafia is becoming more emboldened. The youths that gunned down Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf stated their desire to become "Big mafias". The criminals seem to lack fear and commit crimes with impunity even in the presence of policemen, which is particularly evident according to Darapuri. The former police officer further claimed that these incidents debunked Yogi government's claims of maintaining law and order in the state.

As per reports, social media has been filled with memes and posts pointing out Yogi government's shielding of criminals belonging to a particular caste. Darapuri's allegations raise severe concerns about the government's integrity and impartiality in tackling criminal activities in the region.