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Uttar Pradesh's 'Operation Langda' Police Encounters: 16,000+ Operations (2017-2025) with 97% Leg-Shot Survival Rate

Target:UPSC GS-IIMPSCTeachingSSC GAPrelims HighMains HighStatic GK Link
04 Jun 2026
~2 min
Source: The Hindu
Key Data:16,000+ encounter operations (2017-2025)97% survival rate (leg shot)2,739 operations in 2025100 verified cases studied (Jan 2025-May 2026)
Bodies:Supreme Court of IndiaAllahabad High CourtUttar Pradesh PoliceNational Law University Delhi
Practice MCQs from today's news ▸
What This Article Covers

1.Uttar Pradesh Police's 'Operation Langda' (half-encounter) methodology, involving targeted leg shots, has become a routine policing pattern with over 16,000 operations recorded between 2017-2025 and a 97% survival rate.

2.The Supreme Court's guidelines in PUCL v. State of Maharashtra (2014) mandate independent inquiries for encounters, but the Allahabad High Court noted in 2026 that these practices have become routine, driven by official rewards.

3.This self-sustaining system, supported by political endorsement, professional incentives, and media transmission, raises fundamental questions about extra-procedural punishment, the separation of powers, and the erosion of the rule of law.

The Big Picture
Prelims · HighMains · High

A structured analysis of 'Operation Langda' – the systematic police practice in Uttar Pradesh of shooting suspects in the leg during encounters. This news is critical for understanding the evolving nature of policing, challenges to due process, and the gap between judicial standards and ground-level law enforcement tactics. As an exam aspirant, you must analyze this as a governance and rule-of-law issue, not just a crime statistic.

Exam Lens

Quick Exam Facts From News

Total Encounter Ops (2017-25)16,000+
Survival Rate (Leg Shot)97%
Ops in 2025 (Peak)2,739
SC Case on EncountersPUCL v. State of Maharashtra (2014)

1-Minute Revision

  • ›Total Encounter Ops (2017-25): 16,000+
  • ›Survival Rate (Leg Shot): 97%
  • ›Target this Data: Over 16,000 encounter operations in Uttar Pradesh (2017-2025) with a 97% survival rate from leg shots.
  • ›Target this Nodal Body: The Supreme Court of India (in PUCL v. State of Maharashtra, 2014) and the Allahabad High Court (observation in 2026).
  • ›Target this Legal Point: The 16 principles mandated by the Supreme Court for independent inquiry into every police encounter case.

Mastered this topic? Test your knowledge with a full MCQ quiz.

Practice exam-style questions, track your score, and strengthen your recall.

Q1Static LinkageEasy

The study on 'Operation Langda' cited in the article was conducted by which academic institution?

Q2Statement-basedHard

Consider the following statements regarding 'Operation Langda' in Uttar Pradesh:

1. It involves a standardized seven-step sequence where the suspect is typically shot in the leg.

2. The practice has been endorsed by the Supreme Court of India as a legally defensible crime-control model.

3. The Allahabad High Court, in an observation, noted that such half-encounter practices had become routine and were often driven by official rewards.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3Data-centricMedium

According to the article, what percentage of the accused survived with a bullet wound to the leg in Uttar Pradesh encounter operations between 2017 and 2025?

Q4Application/ImpactMedium

What is identified in the article as the primary reason why 'Operation Langda' is considered a self-sustaining system, making reform difficult?

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