Samajwadi Party leader and Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi has publicly condemned the police encounter in which Asad, the prime accused in the Khoda murder case in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, was shot dead, alleging that such operations are selectively carried out on the basis of religion. The remarks have ignited a fresh political controversy over the use of extra-judicial force by Uttar Pradesh Police.

Background: The Encounter and the Case

Asad was the key accused in the killing of 17-year-old Surya Pratap Chauhan, who was allegedly stabbed to death on Bakrid in the Khoda area of Ghaziabad. Asad was shot dead during a late-night police encounter on Saturday, an incident that has since drawn sharp reactions from opposition politicians and religious figures alike.

What Abu Azmi Said

Abu Azmi, who serves as the Maharashtra Samajwadi Party chief, described the encounter as “extremely wrong” and argued that the constitutional framework demands due process before punishment. “Criminals should be punished. If someone is a serious offender, give them the death penalty, but there is a Constitution for this. Arrest the criminal, prove the crime in court, and then the punishment is given. However, in Uttar Pradesh, this is being done by looking at religion,” Azmi said.

Azmi further alleged that encounters are not applied uniformly. “If someone kills a Muslim or a Yadav, then the encounters don’t happen. However, if a Hindu is killed by a Muslim or Yadav, then they are caught in encounters as soon as possible. Criminals are criminals — be it Muslim, Hindu or Christian. Every criminal should be punished,” he added.

Cleric Backs the Allegation

Maulana Sajid Rashidi also weighed in, supporting Azmi’s position and calling for strict adherence to due legal process. “Not only Abu Azmi, even we have been asserting this very point since the day the encounter took place: that this was a biased encounter. The fundamental question is this: in a democratic nation, there exists a specific democratic system,” Rashidi said.

Rashidi argued that law enforcement agencies should not assume the role of the judiciary. “If the police, or any government, possesses the direct authority to carry out an encounter against anyone at will, then the billions upon billions of rupees currently being expended on the judiciary should be immediately discontinued, as there would no longer be any rationale for its existence,” he said.

Questions Over Property Action

Rashidi also raised questions about the timing of a reported action against allegedly illegal construction linked to the accused. “Regarding the claim that a portion of this house was constructed illegally — was this fact unknown previously? If it was known, why was a notice not issued earlier? Why did this information surface only after the fact?” he said, calling for a thorough government inquiry.

Broader Context

This is not the first time Uttar Pradesh Police encounters have drawn political fire. Critics, particularly from opposition parties, have repeatedly questioned the pattern of such operations under the current state administration. The Samajwadi Party has historically contested the state’s law-enforcement approach, and this incident appears set to intensify that debate ahead of future electoral cycles. The government is yet to formally respond to the specific allegations of religious bias raised by Azmi and Rashidi.