Mayawati gets firm with state police

Mayawati tells the Uttar Pradesh police to pull up their socks and register complaints of common people at all costs.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday got tough with the lethargic state police - telling them to pull up their socks and register complaints of common people at all costs.

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Making the announcement at a press conference in Lucknow, Mayawati said: "I have issued a circular to all district superintendents of police to ensure that no individual is denied the opportunity to lodge a FIR (first information report) against anyone, no matter how and mighty."

The government order lays particular emphasis on registration of criminal cases against those who used their political connections in the previous regime to remain above the law.

"I have decided to give a month's time to people who were not able to get their complaints registered during the past three years of the Mulayam Singh Yadav rule," she declared.

Referring to Mulayam Singh as "today's Kans" (the evil maternal uncle of Lord Krishna in Mahabharata), Mayawati said: "People of the state gave me the mandate to liberate this state from the jungle law unleashed by the Kans-like Mulayam Singh Yadav; so this was one of the steps I thought of initiating in the larger interest of the common oppressed people."

Aware that the mandatory registration of cases would increase the number of cases, the chief minister clarified, "There is no need for police officers to worry on that account; as their performance would not be judged on sheer basis of statistics."

She said: "Performance of policemen would be assessed on more vital issues like investigation and disposal of registered cases."

Mayawati's diktat also includes a guideline for the police to help them change their attitude and become people-friendly. Urging policemen to adopt a humanitarian approach, she said: "Policemen need to take initiatives to resolve people's petty disputes through counselling and also play the role of social activists by trying to reform young delinquents straying into criminal activities."