Crime in UP set to be 2019 Lok Sabha election issue

With the Lok Sabha polls just months away, the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh is set be a key election issue for both the ruling BJP and the opposition in the state.

Chief Minister Adityanath recently told PTI that the “eagerness” being shown by big firms to invest in the state indicated that the situation has improved.

Police officers have cited figures that back the claim.

But human rights organisations and the opposition parties disagree.

The NGOs also express concern over the increasing number of police encounters and the cases of “police brutality” which surface on social media.

Opposition parties claim that the law and order situation has only worsened since the BJP government took over in UP about 16 months ago.

Cases like the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar make the ruling party vulnerable to the opposition charge.

The rape victim's father later died, allegedly after being beaten up in police custody. The CBI has now stepped in, arresting the MLA's brother and four others in connection with the death.

Opposition leaders also cite the shooting in Baghpat jail where gangster Munna Bajrangi was killed by another inmate. They say this indicates that people are not safe even in prison.

UP Congress chief Raj Babbar has also attacked the police, saying they harass the poor and act as "bouncers" for the state government.