Lucknow, Aug. 31 -- Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Monday defended the recent police encounter involving associates who murdered Haryanvi singer Ankit Baliyan, criticising the Samajwadi Party for questioning law enforcement action.

Speaking to reporters, the Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM targeted the opposition party over its record on law and order, while pointing to the past criminal-led incident, asserting that law enforcement personnel are bound to retaliate when attacked by suspects.

He said, "The Samajwadi Party itself is under scrutiny regarding various issues. When the Samajwadi Party was in power, it used to shield criminals. That protection of criminals led to incidents where even MLAs were murdered in b...