Samajwadi Party leader shot in Prayagraj, dies during treatment

Samajwadi Party leader Pawan Yadav was shot in Uttar Pradesh's Handia area and died during treatment, according to initial information. Yadav was the party's Prayagraj district secretary and a former village head. More information on the incident is awaited.

This incident comes two weeks after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Uttar Pradesh government over the law and order situation, alleging that criminals from other states had entered Uttar Pradesh and accusing the BJP government of shielding those involved in crime.

In a post on X, he said the chief minister had kept saying that mafia elements and criminals had left the state, but claimed that the reverse had taken place.

His comments came a day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state had left behind its earlier image as a "Bimaru" state and had gained a respectable standing because of improvements in healthcare, connectivity, education and law and order.

In his post, Yadav said, "The Chief Minister kept claiming that mafia and criminals have left Uttar Pradesh; but here, the opposite has happened--gangsters and thugs from other states have come to UP, firing dozens of rounds and committing murders." He also accused the BJP government of protecting those linked to such crimes.