Opposition parties targeted the Yogi Adityanath government over the deteriorating law and order in Uttar Pradesh with Mayawati asking for a better supervision and the Congress calling the Bharatiya Janata Party government “criminal friendly” which is giving a free hand to goons to operate even in high security places.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said in her tweet that Wednesday’s sensational firing in the Lucknow court premises and broad daylight murder was a big challenge for the government in terms of law and order and crime control in UP.

“There is a lot of panic among the general public due to such incidents,” she said and demanded that the government take stern steps regarding this incident so that people could feel safe.

Reacting to the sensational killing in the court premises, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Brijlal Khabri said that the Yogi government, which claimed zero tolerance towards crime, had proved to be a complete failure in crime control.

“This government has become a criminal-friendly government,” Khabri said, adding that the murder of two criminals (Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf) in police custody in Prayagraj was still fresh in the minds of people and now notorious criminal Sanjeev Maheshwari aka Jeeva was shot dead in police custody in the court premises in the state capital.

“These incidents are examples of the diminishing fear of the khaki in the minds of criminals,” he added.

Raising questions on the law and order situation in the state, Khabri, while addressing media persons here on Thursday, said the BJP government in the state had completely failed to control law and order.

“The spate of crimes in the state shows that the morale of criminals has increased in the BJP government to such an extent that murders are taking place openly in police custody and criminals do not hesitate to kill someone even in a courtroom,” Khabri said.

The UPCC chief said he wanted the rule of law to be established in the state, and stern and quick punishment to every criminal. “The government should make such arrangements that the criminals fear the law,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khabri welcomed senior leader and one of the founder members of Samajwadi Party, CP Rai, into the Congress fold.

Rai joined Congress along with former BJP MLA Rakesh Rathore and national general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union, Sarvesh Sharma, and hundreds of their supporters on Thursday afternoon.