Opposition attacks Yogi government over 'sudden spurt' in rape cases in Uttar Pradesh; BJP boasts of more FIRs

In light of the recent rape case of a minor in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah, opposition parties have slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for the “sudden spurt” in rape cases. An eight-year-old girl was raped and murdered in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The incident in western Uttar Pradesh comes at a time when the Yogi government is fighting public anger over the rape of a teenager allegedly by a ruling party MLA in Unnao. [caption id=“attachment_4185447” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. PTI[/caption] Slamming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state, Samajwadi Party spokesperson and MLC Sunil Singh Sajan said, “I simply fail to understand why the law and order in the state has deteriorated so much after the BJP has come to power in UP. On the one hand, the government claims that encounters are going on in the state and on the other, the crime ratio has surged in the state. The BJP had claimed that as soon as they come to power, the law and order of UP will improve. But, going by the sudden spurt of incidents, I feel that even the minor girls are not all safe in the state,” he said. The Congress too attacked the BJP government on the incident. UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said, “It is an irony that criminal elements are roaming freely in the state, and UP has become virtually the number one state in the country going by the spurt of rapes and other crimes.Congress will soon launch a mass movement across the state to highlight the surge in crime in the state.” The BJP, however, said the party does not believe in saving criminal elements. “Unlike the past state governments which used to shield criminal elements, the BJP believes in ensuring that swift action is initiated against criminals. The police in UP is working without any dabaav (pressure) and prabhaav (influence). FIRs which were not registered in the previous state governments’ regime are now being immediately registered.” With inputs from PTI