Everyone Afraid of ‘Jungle Raj’: Mayawati Slams Yogi Govt After Journalist’s Killing

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday blamed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the state’s law and order situation, saying a ‘Jungle Raj’ had left people fearing for their safety. Her comments in Lucknow followed the killing of a journalist and his brother, who were shot dead in daylight on Sunday in Saharanpur district after a dispute over dumping cow dung.

Mayawati’s charge

Writing on Twitter, Mayawati said it was unfortunate that fear had spread among people under a government she said was run by goons and mafias. She said crime had reached a new level, that killings appeared to have become routine and that everyone felt unsafe.

The Saharanpur killings angered local residents because police had not caught any of the suspects, who were allegedly linked to the local liquor mafia. The journalist and his brother were shot inside their home after a quarrel over cow dung being dumped outside it.

Killings in Prayagraj

Several murders were also reported from Prayagraj on Sunday. Three people were killed in Ghumanganj over a dispute about a passage in the Chaufatka area, another man was shot dead in Allapur while police were still investigating, and a double murder followed in Tharwai. Prayagraj SSP Atul Sharma was transferred and replaced by Satyarth Anirudh Pankaj.

Other opposition reactions

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that after the two brothers were killed in Saharanpur, Prayagraj saw 6 murders in 12 hours, and that Uttar Pradesh had become “Hatya Pradesh”. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary, had also criticised the state government on Sunday, saying murders had become commonplace while those responsible for curbing crime were busy hiding their failures.

See also: Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and Uttar Pradesh MLAs.

Originally published on 19 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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