Law and order situation takes center stage in UP

Deteriorating law and order situation takes the center-stage as the CEC visits the state, reports Masoodul Hasan.

With the chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami reviewing UP’s preparedness for the state assembly elections, deteriorating law and order situation has once again taken center-stage. It has placed the state police in a predicament.

HT Image

Notwithstanding the DGP Bua Singh’s assertion about control in crime situation, there is hardly any taker of his claim even in his department. While the DGP talks about considerable reduction in crimes under all major heads, his colleagues say the police image had been sullied just because of “criminal activities of cops” and utter failure in fixing rough elements close to ruling dispensation. “Controlling them would certainly not be on the agenda of the DGP”, commented a DG level officer sarcastically. “Their activities with direct patronage of the police had washed off achievements of the government”, commented a SP general secretary.  

No doubt eight months ago Bua Singh had started on a promising note. Even his predecessors had come out with “he-will-control” statement. His appointed in place of Yashpal Singh had caused jitters even among the IPS officers. But as the state prepares for the poll his entire exercise seems to have gone haywire. Singh has fallen back on hackneyed crime data to prove improvement. While Singh has claimed “change in people’s perception” about law and order, the officer said that “Bantus have failed Bua Singh”. It may be mentioned that SP corporator Bantu Yadav, who was finally arrested last week for his criminal activities, had virtually become pain in the neck of Lucknow police. He said this ubiquitous tribe of people, which is in league with the police because of proximity with the ruling party, had become major problem for the department. “Bantu is not just a person it is phenomenon haunting UP police”, said the officer. Initially Bua Singh gave impression that he would not buckle under any pressure to carry on the mandate of the chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. But he appears to have faltered midway.

Yadav had mandated him to improve the situation within stipulated time. But there is feeling among the officers that the department could not achieve the target. The concealment of the crime was major problem during Mayawati regime, which has now re-emerged with menacing proportion. At a recent “what-to-do” meeting of ADGs to improve the situation, one officers told the DGP that FIRs were not being registered that had led to wide-spread resentment among the people. The officers have also been waiting with baited breath the address of Governor TV Rajeswar at the police week tomorrow. The governor has already expressed his displeasure over declining situation in the state.