Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister, criticised the Samajwadi Party’s approach to women’s safety, citing decreased crime rates and initiatives like the Anti-Romeo Squad under BJP’s tenure since 2017.
India
-Saumya Joshi
Uttar
Pradesh
Chief
Minister
Yogi
Adityanath
criticised
the
Akhilesh
Yadav-led
Samajwadi
Party
(SP)
on
Tuesday,
labelling
it
a
‘serious
threat’
and
alleging
that
its
members
are
involved
in
crimes
against
women.
During
the
Monsoon
session
of
the
state
assembly,
Adityanath
referenced
a
2014
statement
by
the
late
Mulayam
Singh
Yadav,
“ladke
hain,
galti
ho
jati
hai”
(They
are
boys,
mistakes
happen).
Adityanath’s
Remarks
on
Women’s
Safety
Adityanath
stated,
“The
state
government
is
completely
serious
about
women’s
safety.
The
result
of
this
seriousness
is
that
cases
related
to
crimes
against
women
and
children
are
continuously
decreasing.
There
is
a
fear
of
action
in
the
minds
of
criminals.” He
made
these
comments
during
Question
Hour
on
the
second
day
of
the
UP
Assembly’s
Monsoon
Session
while
responding
to
SP
member
Ragini
Sonkar’s
query
about
preventing
sexual
exploitation.
He
mentioned
that
after
the
BJP
government
was
formed
in
2017,
their
first
initiative
to
curb
miscreants
was
creating
the
“Anti-Romeo
Squad.” Pointing
at
opposition
members,
he
said,
“It
is
sad
to
say
that
when
the
Anti-Romeo
Squad
was
formed,
the
first
to
oppose
it
was
the
Samajwadi
Party.”
He
further
added,
“There
is
no
hesitation
in
saying
that
in
cases
of
crimes
against
women,
people
associated
with
the
Samajwadi
Party
are
found
to
be
directly
or
indirectly
involved.”
Statistics
Presented
by
Adityanath
In
the
state
Assembly
on
Tuesday,
Adityanath
presented
various
statistics.
He
stated,
“If
we
look
at
incidents
like
dowry
in
comparison
to
2016,
there
has
been
a
decrease
of
about
17.5
per
cent
in
2023-24.
In
comparison
to
2016,
a
decrease
of
25.30
per
cent
was
registered
in
rape
incidents
in
2023-24.”
He
noted
that
between
2017
and
2024,
the
state
government
bolstered
its
prosecution
wing
for
cases
of
sexual
harassment
against
minors.
He
added
that
from
2017
to
2024,
there
have
been
9,875
punishments
under
the
POCSO
Act.
Between
2022
and
2024
alone,
there
were
16,718
convictions
under
this
Act.
These
included
21
death
penalties
and
17,013
life
sentences.
Additionally,
there
were
4,653
sentences
of
ten
years
or
more
and
10,331
sentences
of
less
than
ten
years.
Efforts
to
Improve
Women’s
Safety
Adityanath
highlighted
several
measures
taken
by
his
administration
to
improve
women’s
safety.
He
mentioned
that
Women
Power
Line
1090
and
other
helplines
have
been
integrated
with
emergency
response
number
112.
Women’s
help
desks
have
also
been
established
in
1,528
police
stations
across
Uttar
Pradesh.
He
also
reported
significant
recruitment
efforts
within
the
police
force
during
his
tenure.
Since
taking
office
in
2017,
approximately
1.5
lakh
policemen
have
been
recruited.
Before
his
tenure
began
in
2017,
only
around
10,000
women
personnel
were
recruited;
however,
between
then
and
now
more
than
20,000
women
police
constables
have
joined
the
force.
Referring
back
to
Mulayam
Singh
Yadav’s
controversial
statement
from
a
rally
in
Moradabad
in
2014
where
he
questioned
capital
punishment
for
rape
by
saying
“Ladke
hain
galti
ho
jati
hai”
(Boys
are
boys;
mistakes
happen),
Adityanath
criticised
SP’s
stance
on
women’s
safety
issues.
The
Chief
Minister
emphasised
that
since
coming
into
power
in
March
2017
under
BJP
rule
until
now
(2023-24),
they
have
seen
increased
conviction
rates
largely
due
to
their
strengthened
prosecution
wing
handling
sexual
harassment
cases
involving
minors
resulting
so
far
achieving
a
total
number
convictions
reaching
up-to
figure
around
twenty-four
thousand
four
hundred
two
(24k+).
This
comprehensive
approach
towards
enhancing
law
enforcement
capabilities
coupled
with
integrating
various
support
systems
aims
at
ensuring
better
protection
for
women
and
children
alike
throughout
the
entire
region
thereby
reducing
crime
rates
significantly
over
the
past
few
years
according
latest
available
data
shared
during
an
assembly
session
recently
held
earlier
week.
