A local barber in the Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh brutally murdered two young boys before being shot by police in an encounter.
The event unfolded on Tuesday, sparking a heated exchange between political parties over the state's security situation.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) criticised the ruling BJP, holding it responsible for the worsening law and order situation in the state.
In a post on 'X', the Samajwadi Party stated, "BJP wants to win elections by creating riots and communal tension in UP, and that is why it is itself carrying out such incidents and creating communal tension in the districts, the result of which is today's incident in Badaun."
"When the BJP has lost on the real issues of the people, then religious dispute, religious fight is the last weapon left for the BJP. At the behest of the BJP, many goons and miscreants are roaming freely and committing such incidents due to which fights are increasing in society," it further added.
Also, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the Yogi Adityanath government's response to the situation, emphasising that a mere police encounter cannot overshadow the loss of two young lives
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MLA Shivpal Singh Yadav expressed deep sorrow over the incident, highlighting the failure of law and order under the current government. He raised concerns about the implications of the encounter on the investigation of the case.
However, Union Minister Giriraj Singh defended the actions of the Yogi government, asserting that stringent measures are taken against those who break the law in Uttar Pradesh. He dismissed the SP's allegations, attributing them to the party's diminishing support base.
“SP is saying such things due to its declining support base... Whether they are Hindu or Muslim, whoever has tried to take the law into his own hands in Uttar Pradesh has not been spared,” said Giriraj Singh.
Adding to the criticism, Congress leader Surendra Rajput condemned the state government, labelling the situation as "jungle raj" and demanding the resignation of the authorities for their failure to safeguard citizens.
