New Delhi: Against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a specialist group of international criminal and human rights lawyers have filed a formal submission with the United States government seeking targeted sanctions, for his role in the extra judicial killings allegedly committed by the state’s police forces between 2017 and 2021.
On February 9 2022, the submission was filed, with the department of state and the US Department of the Treasury, also recommends sanctions against Om Prakash Singh, the recently retired Director-General of the Police of UP, and Sanjeev Tyagi, Superintendent of the Police of the district of Kanpur.
International lawyer Toby has said that the three individuals were in position of command and control. Speaking to The Wire he said, “We believe that there is an evidential basis to suggest that the three individuals were in a position of command and control at the time the police that undertook the killings, that they failed to prevent or punish, and that there are statements and orders which would suggest that a direct link the crimes as alleged.”
“The submission presents credible sources that show how the UP police carried out at least 146 extra-judicial killings in a pattern of so-called “encounters” since Yogi Adityanath came into power in 2017 and declared a “zero tolerance policy” against crimes,” added Cadman, an Associate Counsel at the Guernica 37 Centre, the organisation which filed the submission.
“These ‘encounters’ are staged confrontations between the police and alleged criminals where the suspects eventually are shot dead in what the police claim is an act of self-defence. However, in many of these cases, witness testimonies, autopsy reports, and other evidence demonstrate that the victims were in fact executed.”
Adityanath also holds the position of home minister in the state. The Guernica submission comes in the midst of legislative assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, with Adityanath running for a second term in office.
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