Agra: Encounter Deaths and injuries collateral damage said Prasanth Kumar ADG (Law and Order) on Friday. Speaking about the killing of Gangster Vikas Dubey in an encounter with police earlier in the day. I don’t subscribe to encounters, it’s not a policy such but people associate it with me, he said.

My only take is there should be zero tolerance for crime and criminals, he said. We should go all out to detect them. During that process if somebody is firing at you, we are legally empowered and authorized to use means (at our disposure). And during that if something happens, its collateral damage, he said.

About Dubey encounter he said we haven’t seen anybody taking on the police and killing eight cops like this. Barring naxals, dacoits and terrorists, nobody targets police, in such a way. He tried to escape from police custody and people are raising questions, he said.

He also said that the car in which Vikas was being transported was changed as a part of strategic. People are alleging that cars were exchanged just before the encounter. Well, it was part of our strategy, said ADG. At Meerut zones ADG Kumar’s team carried out 2273 encounters between 2017 and 2019 in its eight districts i.e., Meerut, Saharanpur, Muzafarnagar, Shamili, Baghpat, Buland Shahar, Ghaziabad and Hapur.

In all districts, 65 wanted accused were killed, 1332 sustained grievous bullet injuries and 4356 were arrested after police encounter.