LUCKNOW, Feb. 13 -- Samajwadi Party lawmakers staged a walkout from the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday citing "failure" of the state government to improve law and order and increase in the number of police encounters in various districts. Moving adjournment motion in the assembly over the recent death of four Dalit children in Prayagraj, SP MLA Ragini Sonkar alleged that without conducting a thorough probe, police concluded in their report that the children died due to drowning in a pond. She also alleged that the recent police encounter involving Pappu Sonkar and Arvind Sonkar was fake. SP MLA Atul Pradhan alleged that incidents of fake encounters had increased under the BJP government. He further alleged that in Meerut, policemen kidnapped a trader and released him after collecting ransom, while in another case police personnel committed theft at a mobile phone shop. Refuting the allegations, parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Kumar Khanna cited National Crime Records Bureau data and claimed that there has been decline in heinous crimes, including murder, rape and kidnapping. "Pappu Sonkar was a history-sheeter and wanted by police in various crime cases," he said, adding the four children died in Prayagraj due to drowning. "The state government has provided Rs.4 lakh compensation to each bereaved family and allotted a house to them," he added. Dissatisfied with the reply, SP members walked out of the House. The council witnessed also heated exchanges between the SP and BJP members on Thursday over the condition of medical colleges and the law and order situation in the state. Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh claimed crime had declined and there had been no major riot since the BJP came to power in 2017. SP member Ashutosh Sinha sought details on the functioning of the cancer and cardiology hospitals at the Government Medical College in Kannauj. Deputy CM and health minister Brajesh Pathak said merely constructing buildings did not ensure a functional hospital and accused the previous SP government of irregularities. As Sinha expressed dissatisfaction, chairman Kunwar Manvendra Singh urged the government to strengthen facilities by linking the college with a larger institution....