Akhilesh Yadav slams UP Govt over Bareilly ransom case, says "Zero tolerance policy has become zero"

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 5 (ANI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing attack on the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday, claiming its much-touted "zero tolerance" policy against crime and corruption has completely collapsed.
His remarks came in the wake of an incident in Bareilly, where a sub-inspector and two constables from Fateganj Pashchimi police station were suspended for allegedly abducting a man and demanding a ransom of Rs 2 lakh.
According to officials, the accused police personnel allegedly threatened to jail the victim if he did not pay the demanded amount.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bareilly, Anurag Arya, said that all three accused officers have been suspended, and an investigation is underway. "We received information that the in-charge of Fateganj Pashchimi police station abducted a man and demanded ransom for his release. The police contacted the victim and verified the information. An FIR has been filed against SI Balveer Singh and two constables who were with him. All three have been suspended, and a departmental inquiry has also been ordered against them," said SSP Arya.

Reacting to the incident, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav held a press conference on Saturday, where he also played a video clip related to the case. "The purpose of showing this video is to expose those who talk about zero tolerance. In Uttar Pradesh, this policy has become zero," Yadav said.
"It is extremely rare to see the police kidnapping for ransom, and now even the police are filing cases against their own. Where is the zero tolerance now? Justice is nowhere to be found in the state," he added.
Yadav further alleged that even BJP workers are suffering under their own government. "Even BJP people are not getting justice. BJP people are now against BJP," he said.
Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's "80:20" remark, Yadav said, "Those who give the slogan of 80:20 -- tell me, do I come in 80 or 20? This is not about 80:20, it's about 90:10. Half the population and the PDA -- Pichhda (Backward), Dalit, and Alpasankhyak (Minorities) -- are angry with them."
CM Yogi had earlier claimed that the 2027 UP assembly elections would be an "80:20" contest, implying that the BJP and its allies would secure 80 per cent of the vote, leaving the remaining 20 per cent to the opposition. (ANI)