Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday accused the Special Task Force (STF) of carrying out caste-based encounters in Uttar Pradesh as termed it ‘Special Thakur Force’.

The SP chief’s remark on the recent Sultanpur encounter has further intensified the Thakur vs Yadav caste divide in Uttar Pradesh.

Prior to the SP chief’s remark, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too had questioned the working of the STF.

“What action was taken against the main accused in the recent Sultanpur encounter? The chief minister should know what the STF is. However, there is a buzz around that STF is not a Special Task Force, but instead a Special Thakur Force,” said Yadav.

The SP chief also questioned the 2020 Vikas Dubey encounter, asking how only the vehicle in which he was being brought overturned.

“People would not accept such killings. It’s only because of such wrong narratives that the BJP is losing,” Yadav added.

The Thakur vs Yadav controversy began with the killing of Mangesh Yadav, a notorious criminal with a Rs 1lakh bounty, in an alleged police encounter.

On August 28, 2024, Mangesh and four armed accomplices robbed Bharat Soni’s jewellery store in Sultanpur and made off with cash and ornaments worth Rs 1.5 crore. They crossed four police outposts undetected, leaving the local authorities red-faced.

The opposition parties accused the BJP-led government of carrying out caste-based encounters. In a post on X, Yadav accused the ruling party of manipulating the situation.

“It seems that the ruling party had deep connections with the people involved in the Sultanpur robbery. This is why the ‘main accused’ was contacted before the robbery and made to surrender. Other accused were shot in the leg for show and Mangesh Yadav was killed on the basis of caste,” he wrote.

He further hit out at fake encounters, saying: “Fake encounters turn the protector into a predator. The solution is not fake encounters, but real law and order.”

He also alleged that robbery kingpin Vipin Singh was strategically allowed to surrender as he belonged to the dominant Thakur caste.