Efforts led to drop in crime against women: UP govt
Due to increased awareness, more cases of rape were filed in the past eight months, particularly in districts like Fatehgarh, Sitapur, Khiri, Kaushambi, and Hamirpur
LUCKNOW Measures taken by chief minister Yogi Adityanath not only led to a decline in cases of crime against women in the last six years, but also instilled confidence among people. More women and family members of victims were coming forward to report such crimes in the state and seek justice, according to an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
The CM had recently chaired a review meeting with police and administration officials to expedite action against perpetrators of crimes against women, including crimes like sexual assault, the Pocso Act, love jihad and religious conversion.
He also instructed officers to take stern action against police officers who delayed registration of cases in heinous crimes, stated a government spokesman.
This has resulted in increased trust among people in the leadership of chief minister Yogi Adityanath and a large number of women and even their family members are not shying away from reporting crimes, he added.
Though there had been an increase in cases in some districts of the state, there has been an overall decrease in criminal cases across the state, due to the police’s vigilance and swift resolution of cases.
During the review meeting, reports on the top five officers who had taken strict action against crimes against women and the bottom five officers who showed poor performance were presented. This report covered the period from January to August this year. From January to August, 1869 cases of sexual assault were registered in the state, charge sheets filed in 1,359 cases, final reports submitted in 220 cases and 290 cases are under investigation.
Due to increased awareness, more cases of rape were filed in the past eight months, particularly in districts like Fatehgarh, Sitapur, Khiri, Kaushambi, and Hamirpur. Out of 2,578 accused people in these cases, action was taken against 2,325, and efforts were underway to arrest 253 wanted individuals, he stated.
In districts with significant action against rape cases, the top 5 districts were Badaun, Moradabad, Bijnor, Amroha, and Sambhal, while Prayagraj, Shahjahanpur, Balrampur, Kaushambi, and Fatehpur showed poor performance.
Similarly, 5,957 cases were registered under the Pocso Act, with complaints filed in 4,860 cases and final reports submitted in 373 cases. Meanwhile, investigation was pending in 724 cases, he said.
As a result of the government’s strict actions and awareness campaigns regarding the Pocso Act, there had been a notable change in society. Previously, people hesitated in reporting such cases, but today in some districts of the state, there has been an increase in the registration of cases under the Pocso Act.
The top five districts in which maximum cases were reported include Ayodhya, Kaushambi, Ambedkar Nagar, Gautam Buddh Nagar and Jhansi. Cases were registered against 8,699 individuals while action was taken against 8,009 people while 690 accused were still wanted.
In cases under the Pocso Act, districts like Rampur, Jhansi, Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur showed swift action and good performance. On the other hand, districts like Auraiya, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Kannauj, and Bahraich performed poorly in this regard.
In the past eight months, 6,445 cases of outraging modesty were registered in the state, out of which charge sheets were filed in 4,531 cases, and final reports submitted in 596 cases. Investigations were underway in 1,318 cases.
According to the official statement, “As a result of the actions taken by the Yogi government and increased awareness, there has been an increase in the registration of cases regarding outraging modesty in some districts of the state.”
These districts include Deoria, Ambedkar Nagar, Mirzapur, Fatehgarh, and Gautam Buddh Nagar (Commissionerate). In these cases, out of a total of 11,022 accused individuals, action was taken against 9,388 whereas police launched a manhunt to nab 1,634 wanted accused, it said.
Swift action was taken in such cases in districts like Muzaffarnagar, Badaun, Aligarh, Hathras, and Jhansi, whereas the performance of Prayagraj, Lucknow, Hamirpur, Mau, and Kanpur had been poor.
Similarly, 241 cases related to love jihad and religious conversion were registered, with charge sheets filed in 176 cases and final reports submitted in 16 cases while investigations were underway in 48 cases. Out of the 790 accused individuals involved in these cases, action was taken against 742, and efforts to nab 48 wanted accused were on, said the spokesman.
Etawah, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, and Sambhal showed good performance in these cases, while Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Muzaffarnagar, Kanpur, and Hapur performed poorly.