Lucknow: A rare public disagreement has emerged within the ruling NDA in Uttar Pradesh after Cabinet Minister and Nishad Party chief Dr. Sanjay Kumar Nishad questioned the police encounter of murder accused Kamlesh Bind in Ghazipur and demanded an independent probe, putting the state's controversial encounter policy back in the political spotlight.
Kamlesh Bind, also known as Kamlesh Chaudhary and said to be associated with the Samajwadi Party, was killed in a police encounter on June 3. Police claimed he was one of the accused in the murder of Vineet Rai, the son of a Ghazipur hotelier, and was shot after opening fire on officers during an operation to arrest him.
Nishad, whose party is an NDA ally, openly questioned the police version and sought a fair investigation into the incident. He said those accused of crimes should be given an opportunity to surrender and face the judicial process rather than being killed in encounters. Warning of political repercussions, he said repeated encounters involving members of the Bind community could alienate an influential backward caste voter base and hurt the NDA's prospects in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The encounter has sparked widespread outrage in Kamlesh's native village, where family members rejected the police account and alleged that he was killed in a fake encounter.
Kamlesh's brother, Sanjay Bind, alleged that his sibling had been falsely implicated in the murder case. "This was not an encounter, this was murder. The murder of an innocent person who was falsely named in the FIR," he said. He claimed Kamlesh was in Ramgarh at the time of Vineet Rai's murder on May 28 and alleged that police picked him up from there, kept him in custody for a day and killed him the following day. He demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the incident.
The family has also alleged that Kamlesh was targeted because he belonged to the Bind community, a traditionally riverine and fishing community that is part of the larger Mallah and Nishad groups. Sanjay Bind claimed his brother was persecuted because of his caste and his political association with the Samajwadi Party, where he worked as a party worker.
Kamlesh's wife also disputed the official version, claiming her husband had been detained before the alleged encounter and demanding a judicial inquiry.
The allegations triggered protests in the village, with hundreds of residents gathering to demand action. The demonstrations later turned violent, with reports of clashes and stone pelting. Police subsequently registered cases against several family members and other protesters in connection with the violence.
The opposition Samajwadi Party rallied behind the family, accusing the BJP government of promoting "encounter raj" and alleging that Kamlesh had been killed in a staged encounter. The party demanded accountability from the state government and used the incident to attack the Yogi Adityanath administration over its law enforcement practices.
The controversy has placed the state government in an uncomfortable position, with one of its own alliance partners publicly questioning police action. It has also revived the political debate over police encounters in Uttar Pradesh, an issue that has long divided the ruling BJP and the opposition. With the Bind and Nishad communities holding electoral influence across several districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the episode is expected to have political ramifications beyond Ghazipur.
