The Uttar Pradesh police recorded their highest annual encounter toll in eight years in 2025, with 48 alleged criminals killed, according to official data released on Tuesday.
Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna shared the figures at a press conference at the police headquarters, presenting data that covers police action from March 20, 2017, to December 29, 2025.
Yogi Adityanath assumed office as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in March 2017. The data shows that since 2018, 266 accused persons have been killed in police encounters.
The DGP said the figures reflect the state police’s focus on a “zero-tolerance policy” against crime, following instructions from the chief minister. In 2025 alone, the police carried out 2,739 operations.
During these actions, 3,153 accused were injured and 48 were killed. One police personnel also lost his life during these operations, according to the data.
A year-wise break-up shows that 41 alleged criminals were killed in encounters in 2018, followed by 34 in 2019. The number fell to 26 in both 2020 and 2021, and further dropped to 13 in 2022.
The figures rose again to 26 in 2023 and 25 in 2024, before peaking in 2025. Overall, since 2017, the Uttar Pradesh Police have conducted 16,284 operations. In these, 10,990 accused were injured and 266 were killed.
The data also records injuries to 1,783 police personnel, while 18 policemen lost their lives during the same period.
The figures make 2025 the year with the highest number of accused killed in police action over the past eight years, surpassing even 2024, when 25 alleged criminals were shot.
The Uttar Pradesh police have maintained that all encounter operations were carried out in self-defence and in accordance with law, as part of a sustained drive against organised crime and repeat offenders.