It is nothing wrong to say that before Yogi Adityanath Uttar Pradesh was said to be synonymous with Murder, Loot, Dacoity Rape, and riots but Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath changed the perception about the Uttar Pradesh State and improved its tarnished image. There was a long era of scams, the mafia was rampant in the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party rule but Yogi Adityanath improved the Uttar Pradesh state with his effective law and order policies.
Uttar Pradesh State is now more secure for women than many other big states, according to the report of the National Crime Records Bureau Reports (NCRB)-2019. As per the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in late March of 2021, the crime situation has considerably improved in the state. According to the report, the all-India rate of crime against women in 2019 was 62.4 cases per one lakh population while Uttar Pradesh recorded 55.4 cases per lakh. the state recorded a 9.7 percent decline in rape cases from 2019, and, a drop of 9.2 percent compared to 2013.
In molestation cases, the crime rate was 9 percent, which is less than the national average of13 percent. Here too, the government said, the decline has been 9.2 percent since 2013. According to the report, UP recorded a 21 percent drop in harassment cases against women vis-a-vis 2019. The decline in such cases from 2013 is 64 percent, it said.
In dowry deaths, the state has seen a 506 percent decline from 2019, it said. In cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, there is a decline of 11.6 percent from 2019. With ‘Mission Shakti’, which started in October 2020, police teams, through self-help groups, are spreading awareness among women about their rights. They are encouraged to report a crime,”
The NCRB data says that UP has witnessed a sharp reduction of 45.43 percent in rape cases and has the lowest figures of crimes against women compared to the 21 major states of the country.
This has played an important role in changing the image and perception of Uttar Pradesh globally and re-establishing its identity. Uttar Pradesh state has seen a significant fall in the number of rape cases from 3419 cases in 2016 to 2317 cases in the year 2020.
The UP government has also recorded the highest conviction rate in the cases of crimes against women and cyber-crime in the country, says the report by NCRB.
The reason for the fall in the crimes in Uttar Pradesh is the important several steps taken to check crime against women which include anti-Romeo squads, UP-122 India App, night security cover scheme, women helpdesks, and pink booths. A total of 25,895 criminals have been sent behind bars till the year 2019. Despite being the most populous state, Uttar Pradesh has also seen a reduction in cases of murder. With a density of 690 persons per square km, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a sharp decline of 19.80 percent from the year 2016 to 2020, in cases of murder. Murder cases registered a reduction of 5.9 percent in 2017. As many as 28,653 killings were recorded in 2017, down from 30,450 in 2016, the NCRB report said. According to the report, the rate of murder cases in UP in 2016 was 2.2 cases per one lakh population, while the year 2017 recorded 1.9 cases of murder per one lakh population. The year 2018 recorded 1.8 and the years 2019 and 2020 recorded 1.7 and 1.6 murder cases per one lakh population, respectively.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been working overtime to ensure the safety, security, empowerment, and all-around welfare of women as well as applying a break over crimes against them has been one among the top priorities of the government.
The government has ensured stringent law enforcement, administrative, legal, and pro-women mass-awareness efforts. These efforts in the past four years have borne out positive results, and the system succeeded in containing crimes while improving safety and security situations.
Uttar Pradesh Government Ready to set up 218 fast track courts
CM Yogi Adityanath said that all cases pertaining to violence against women will be tried in fast-track courts
For these fast track courts, 218 posts of additional session judges have been created, and staff posts for the court will also be created, CM Adityanath stated, “Senior officers have been instructed to assess crime scenes at earliest & give security to victims’ families. “UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the government will be adopting a stringent approach towards people accused of violence against women. CM Yogi Adityanath said that all cases of violence against women will undergo trial in fast-track courts. He added that crimes concerning minors will be tried under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. These special courts will be part of the total 1,023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) which were proposed to be set up under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act earlier this year — an initiative of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development to expedite trials of rape cases.
UP Anti-Romeo squads arrested 14,454 people since 2017
After the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, anti-Romeo squads were launched to ensure the safety of women. The Uttar Pradesh Police said that between March 22, 2017, and November 30, 2020, the Anti-Romeo squads arrested 14,454 people. Launched in 2017, days after Yogi Adityanath took over as UP chief minister, the squads were meant to ensure women’s safety in the state. To get a status check on the squads, India Today TV filed a Right to Information (RTI) application with the Uttar Pradesh Police and asked about the Anti-Romeo squads’ scope of work, strength, effectiveness, and arrests they have made. The UP-Director General of Police headquarters said, “Between 22.03.2017 and 30.11.2020, 14,454 people have been arrested.” This is 11 arrests a day. The UP Police says Anti-Romeo squads were formed on 22.03.2017 in all districts to stop eve-teasing, indecency, vulgar display, or comments against women and teenagers.” The district police appoint police personnel in Anti-Romeo squads based on need,” the RTI reply said resultantly the number of rape cases in the state did go down after the squads were formed. Rape cases in Uttar Pradesh in 2017 stood at 13 per day, this went down to 8 every day in 2019.
Pink Booths
The Kanpur administration has set up ‘pink booths’ exclusively for women. Pink booths are being set up especially for women as they often don’t feel comfortable standing in the same queue as men. The decision to set up pink booths has been taken to increase the voting percentage of women. These booths will be managed completely by women staff members, said Kanpur’s newly appointed district magistrate (DM) Neha Sharma.
Along with pink booths, the authorities have also arranged wheelchairs and toilets at all the booths for the convenience of the elderly and differently-abled, besides deployment of heavy forces.“Wheelchairs are being arranged for specially-abled voters along with ramps. Helpers have also been arranged for their convenience,” said Neha Sharma. We are also looking for the possibility of arranging e-rickshaws for those in need, she added.DM Neha Sharma was recently appreciated for holding nomination procedures peacefully for the upcoming elections. The administration has also identified several booths where the voting percentage was low in the past years. Various awareness programs will be organised in those areas of Uttar Pradesh so that women can feel safe while voting in remote and crowded areas.
District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash, who is also the district election officer. Prakash also said that the parties should ensure that there is no violation of the model code of conduct. He said, this time there will be 46 all-women booths solely handled by women. Other than this, seven booths would be established exclusively for differently-abled, and one booth would be a green booth that would run on solar power. He said arrangements will be made to facilitate the senior citizen. “We have made elaborate arrangements to transport senior citizens.
Success of UP 122 India App
Primarily meant for women’s safety, under the Nirbhaya initiative, the project is the joint effort of the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry for Home Affairs. Anyone can download this application and just by pressing a button or just pressing the power button thrice, one can initiate a call to the state emergency responses. Without making any voice call, the police will automatically reach the victim. It has a unique feature which is called ‘Shout’. Since the police are limited and there is a huge population to cover, any citizen can register with the system as a volunteer. After proper scrutiny and verification, these volunteers will be incorporated into the system.
Explaining this further, Raghvendra Kumar Dwivedi, State Radio Officer, UP 100 says, “Suppose some volunteer is just 50 meters or 100 meters away from the sufferer, the Shout message will be sent to the nearest volunteer. Using navigation the volunteer can reach the victim and provide help till the police arrive.”
For non-smartphones, pressing the power button thrice will automatically work. In fact, the government of India is mandating all mobile manufacturing companies to have this feature so that pressing three times power button or long-press of numbers 5 and 9 will initiate a call, even voice call to the state emergency response system and location of that mobile will also come as an SMS. This has already been tested with UP 100 and three rounds of trials have already been done by involving more than 200 volunteers.
Inclusion of Google ELS
Google ELS is being integrated into the service. “Normally we used location-based services. Telecom service providers would give us the location of the person affected using the triangulation method. In this method, more accuracy will be obtained. In rural areas, the accuracy will be 4 to 5 km and in urban areas, it will be 500 meters. With the help of Google ELS, latitude and longitude will be sent to emergency services so that the accuracy of the location comes to 5 to 50 meters. That will definitely reduce the response time.
In today’s world of mobile, wearable, location-aware, and digitally aware technologies, we are always “on” and always connected. In this ever-connected ecosystem, we have a deeper concept of location; one that is more refined, instantaneous, and even predictive in some cases.
While we talk about digital transformation and geospatial becoming the by-default factor in everyday life, the best way to define this phenomenon is by taking the example of UP Dial 100. ‘Location technology can save lives and this has been adequately proved by UP Dial 100.
In the last 25 months of its operations, the project has provided the police help in 105 lakh cases in the state of Uttar Pradesh. “With the use of spatial technology from a response time of more than an hour, the response time has reduced to 13 minutes,” says Dwivedi. “With better response time, we can now prevent suicide cases, rape cases, or any emergency situation.”
So whenever a victim calls, they are communication officers taking calls. They capture the location of the caller on the map. This location has to be precise since every other mechanism is heavily dependent on the location. The system reads the location and based on that the nearest police station responds to it.
Location intelligence is the most vital part of this whole process. “We have a goldmine of data and based on this data, we provide advisories to the field unit so that they can take preventive steps. By sharing this data with the local police they could take preventive steps,” adds Dwivedi
Yogi Adityanath launches Mission Shakti for security of women in the state
The Uttar Pradesh government launched the ‘Mission Shakti’ programme for the security of women in the state. The launch was attended by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and several young girls demonstrated techniques for self-defence at the event. Speaking at the event, the CM said that he decided to kick off the campaign from Balrampur in order to pay homage to a “victim of a very unfortunate incident”. He added that Mission Shakti has been started with the hopes of guaranteeing respect and safety to every woman of UP. Yogi further said that respect and safety of women and children is the Indian culture, and the mission is being started keeping that in mind. The chief minister also stated that over 1,500 police stations all over the state would now have a separate room for women’s complaints. In these dedicated rooms, the complainants would be attended by a female constable and the complaints would be acted upon with urgency. He also assured that those committing crimes against women in the state would be punished swiftly.
Yogi Adityanath tweeted that women are the symbol of strength, and they are sacred as per the traditions of the Sanatan Dharm. The festival of Navratri is the proof of that, he said. Yogi also stated that there is a need to make the new generation the carriers of this culture, and inculcate within them the feeling of respect towards and self-reliance among women.
‘Mission Shakti’ is an attempt towards reaching this end goal, he added. The state government is committed to ensuring that every woman in the state is respected and can be self-reliant, the chief minister said in a series of tweets. He also asserted that those who try to hurt the self-respect and dignity of women would not find any place in the new Uttar Pradesh. He further warned that the misery of such people is sure.
Uttar Pradesh police launches new telephone line 1090 for women’s safety
With an aim to provide women adequate protection and also aid their empowerment, the Uttar Pradesh police have launched a telephone line on February 12, 2021. As per reports, it has been named, Women Power Line – 1090, and goes by the motto, Humari Surakhsa: Mobile haanth mein, 1090 Saath mein.
Additional Director General Neera Rawat of UP Police’s Women Powerline wing told the media that this helpline is a step towards reaching women digitally and creating awareness.“We want to instill fear amongst offenders. But at the same time, we believe that the solution to women-related issues lies in impacting the minds and bringing a cultural change too,”
Named ‘Women Power Line – 1090’, the new helpline has been launched with the motto “Humari Surakhsa: Mobile haanth mein, 1090 Saath mein,” said Additional Director General Neera Rawat of UP Police’s Women Powerline wing. It is a digital outreach programme aimed at reaching people digitally and create awareness, she said while launching the new service.” We want to instill fear amongst offenders. But at the same time, we believe that the solution to women-related issues lies in impacting the minds and bringing a cultural change too,” she said.
“The campaign will be spread in a phased manner to cover all net users and amplify our outreach among households, including rural and urban, and students and persuade them to join hands with WPL-1090 through digital platforms and spread the word,” said ADJ Rawat. Explaining shortcomings of traditional modes of outreach and positive factors of digital outreach, the ADG also shared a digital outreach roadmap, called “Digital Chakravyuh” which she said would help in creating a “360-degree ecosystem for women safety” in Uttar Pradesh.
“The campaign will be spread in a phased manner to cover all net users and amplify our outreach among households, including rural and urban, and students and persuade them to join hands with WPL-1090 through digital platforms and spread the word,” ADJ Rawat further said. In order to emphasise the advantages of taking things to the digital medium, Rawat shared a digital outreach roadmap, titled Digital Chakravyuh, which, according to her, would help in creating a “360-degree ecosystem for women safety” in Uttar Pradesh.
Gangster dominated state becomes the first choice for global Industries
The biggest problem the Uttar Pradesh state previously faced prior to 2017 was syndicated and organised crime. The architects of this multi-tier crime nexus were Mafias who turned politicians. They enjoyed full support from the previous governments and had impunity due to their connections. there was no action on these crimes or effective follow-up on their crime. The police were scared to file a case against them or arrest them. However, with Yogi’s arrival, this political patronage was broken.
Yogi Government has changed the state beyond all recognition from the chaotic, gangster-dominated state to be the first choice for both national and global industries and investors. Mafias and gangsters, who were audacious to the extent of harassing police officers in the previous regime, are now behind bars. Under Yogi, the state has pursued the policy of “zero tolerance” towards crime and criminals, which is the reason why many with criminal backgrounds have either left the state, are behind bars or on the run, or have given up criminal activities. The illegal properties have been seized and the lands occupied by force and illegally have also been freed. The government in the past 4.5 years has freed 67,000 acres of land (the size of Lucknow)and priority has been given to making sports grounds on it. The government further plans to build houses for the poor and Dalits on the confiscated land of the mafia.
When it comes to law and order, the perception about the SP is not a favourable one. In a 2017 post-poll survey done in the state, the SP ranked third after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as better equipped in maintaining law and order. There has been visible action against criminals, especially against history-sheeters such as Atiq Ahmed, and Mukhtar Ansari, whose illegal properties have been seized. Gangster Vikas Dubey, who was arrested for killing eight cops, was killed in an encounter in 2020. leading criminal gangs have been eliminated from the state sue to fast action by police authorities against mafias.
The Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Ordinance, 2020 is a hit among Uttar Pradesh. This Act puts a stop to the anti-CAA protestors who are trying to disturb the law and peace and helped the Adityanath government recover monies from perpetrators. It has helped the Chief Minister establish his image as a strong administrator and controlled the protestors who was trying to destroy the properties of Uttar Pradesh. the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Ordinance, which aims to recover losses caused to public and private property during situations of protests, public violence, arson and riots.
In early March, the district administration of Lucknow put up banners all over the city displaying names, photographs, and addresses of certain people who were accused of damaging public property during the anti-CAA protests.
Uttar Pradesh’s ‘love jihad’ law
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was always vocal about the need for Love Jihad Law even before he became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and is considered close to his heart. He has never shied away from being vocal about it in any public place and he has taken a strong decision to implement the law even after various attacks by the opposition. The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet cleared an ordinance against forceful inter-faith conversions or “love jihad” — amid similar steps by other states, there is a sense that the law would be implemented more “vigorously” in Uttar Pradesh than in any other state. The Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission, in its report submitted before the Chief Minister, had proposed such a law in the state citing rising incidents of forced religious conversions or conversions through fraudulent ways. However, as different states are mulling bringing a similar law, the Uttar Pradesh government is ready to implement it.
Yogi Aditayanth is the first CM to bring a law on the incidents of Love Jihad in Uttar Pradesh which played an important role in controlling the incidents of “love jihad” in Uttar Pradesh. The cases of alleged “love jihad” have been reported from different parts of the state. Recently a group of parents from a particular locality in Kanpur had met senior police officials with a complaint that their daughters are being trapped by Muslim men and are now seeking their help to free themselves. Later, a Special Investigating Team was formed to look into the allegations. Various cases are being reported regularly of love jihad and forced conversions in different parts of the country and Uttar Pradesh is the only state to take prompt action against the offenders who commit forced conversions.