Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

CAG: SHARP SPIKE IN CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN IN UP

- HT Correspond­ent letters@hindustant­imes.com

LUCKNOW: Nearly 60% of the rape survivors in UP since 2010 were minors, the CAG said on Tuesday in a report highly critical of the state government’s failure to curb crime against women. The report for the years 2010-2015 was placed in the state assembly, barely a few weeks after a Noida-based woman and her minor daughter were gang raped by highway robbers near Bulandshah­r.

LUCKNOW: Nearly 60% per cent of the rape survivors in Uttar Pradesh since 2010 were minors, the Comptrolle­r and Auditor General (CAG) said on Tuesday in a report highly critical of the state government’s failure to curb crime against women.

The report for the years 2010-2015 was placed in the state assembly, barely a few weeks after a Noida-based woman and her minor daughter were gang raped by highway robbers near Bulandshah­r.

Separately, the UP government also told the assembly on Tuesday that in the past five months, 1,012 rape cases were registered in the state.

The data is likely to provide fresh ammunition to the opposition to target the Akhilesh Yadav government over the state’s law and order in the run up to the assembly polls due early next year.

The BJP was quick to respond, announcing an agitation in Lucknow on Wednesday to highlight the issue.

“The CAG report vindicates whatever we have been saying so far against this government. It’s a failure on law and order and in checking crime against women. It’s time that this government demited office,” state BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

The government, however, said it had taken “steps to check crime against women”.

“The state government has launched recruitmen­t drive to fill up the vacant posts in the police force. The population of UP is much higher that other states, it reflects on police- population ratio as well,” a government spokespers­on said in response to the CAG’s criticism of the government for failing to fill up vacancies in police.

The report said incidents of crime against women increased consistent­ly in the last five years and were much higher than the all-India average.

There was a 61% increase in incidents of crime against women between 2010-11 and 2014-15, the report said, adding that 59% of the rape survivors were minors.

The districts with highest number of rape cases in 2010-15 were Aligarh (392), Moradabad (377), Allahabad (348), Meerut (346), Agra and Lucknow (328 each).

The CAG report -- on performanc­e audit on empowermen­t of women-2015 – said that despite a high incidence of crime, the state government has not taken effective steps to significan­tly strengthen its police force.

The actual police manpower per one lakh population in the state was amongst the lowest in the country, it added.

The CAG found the state had deployed 1,62,783 police personnel to protect 19.98 crore population.

Only 81 police personnel per one lakh population were available in the state to enforce law and order, it noted. This is much below the United Nations norms of 222 police personnel per one lakh population.

The CAG said there was 55% shortage of police manpower and expressed apprehensi­on that if the dearth of police force was not immediatel­y addressed, it might worsen the crime scenario in the state.

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