Spurt in UP crime puts govt in a spot

LUCKNOW: Back-to-back incidents of crimes in Uttar Pradesh in the last fortnight has turned the heat on the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s claims on law and order situation in the state.

At least seven cases of heinous crimes — three incidents of setting women on fire in different parts of the state and kidnapping of two minor brothers and murder of one of them — have taken place in December.

The opposition parties have raised their pitch over rising crime in UP and the government’s failure to nail the key accused, particularly in Bulandshahr violence that led to the killing of two people, including police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh.

Opposition parties took on the government on the law and order issue during the ongoing Assembly session. In a statement issued on Friday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati said, “Leave alone women’s honour, women’s safety is a far cry under this government. The scenario is worrisome. Failure to arrest the killers of police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr incident proves how badly the government has failed on law and order count.” She said these incidents had forced people to think there is no police or government worth its name in UP. In a statement on Thursday, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav said, “Two incidents (in Agra) – one in which a student was raped, and the other where a girl was burnt alive – indicate