Police 'half encounters' | They aim to maim

The heartland states have seen an alarming rise in 'half encounter' cases where alleged offenders are shot in the leg by the police. With the courts stepping in, the 'instant justice' discourse is facing a backlashOPERATION LANGDA: UP Police arrest two accused after an encounter in Bulandshahr, Apr. 28. (Video grabs enhanced by AI)ISSUE DATE: Nov 2, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 15:28 IST When a video clip of masked men molesting a Class X student in Jamui, Bihar, went viral on September 19, it triggered outrage across the country. It also punctured the narrative that law and order in Bihar had improved after the BJP government came to power in the state. Three days later, the Bihar police paraded the alleged main accused, Nandan Yadav, limping after being shot in the leg. The police made the usual claim: that he had shot at them when they went to arrest him near Kundar Barrage on the Jamui Lakhisarai road, and that he was injured when they returned fire. In Bihar, such incidents of what is widely perceived as extra-judicial punitive retribution have earned a name of their own: ‘half encounter’.