Do the facts add up to Yogi Adityanath's claims?

New Delhi, March 19 (IANs) In the last two years, there has been "no communal incident," in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told reporters on Tuesday on completing two years office.

Reality:

The Home Minister told Parliament on March 13, 2018 that the rise in communal violence was the highest in Uttar Pradesh - 822 incidents and 111 people killed in 2017 itself - the highest in four years.

The first incident, in fact, occurred soon after Adityanath assumed office. On May 5, 2017, a group of Rajputs entered a Dalit colony in Saharanpur while heading to garland a statue of Maharana Pratap, for which they had been denied permission. In the violence that followed one Rajput was killed and some 25 Dalit houses were torched.

Kasganj in western UP witnessed communal violence on January, 26, 2018. 22-year old Chandan Gupta, died of a gunshot wound and 44 people were arrested. The violence erupted over an unauthorised march on Republic Day.

-x-x-x-x-

Cow vigilantism

There has been a 69 per cent rise of cases of bovine-related violence since Adityanath assumed office, according to a FactChecker.in database that tracks such crimes.

"With four deaths in 21 attacks in 2018 - with the lynchings of 45-year-old Qasim Qureshi in Hapur, western UP, 20-year-old Shahrukh Khan in Bareilly, northern UP, and the murder of a police inspector and a bystander - UP has emerged as the deadliest for bovine-related hate violence and reports more attacks than any other state," FactChecker said

"Before March 2017, when Adityanath came to power, UP recorded five incidents of bovine-related hate violence. After that, up to December 3, 2018, the state recorded 11 cases of bovine-related hate violence."

The latest attack was the murder on December 3, 2018, of police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, who was shot in the head - likely with his own firearm - by cow vigilantes on a field in Bulandshahr in western UP, who were apparently incensed by the discovery of cow carcasses. Singh was shot as he tried to restore peace.

-x-x-x-x-

Adityanath on the police: There was no political interference in police work since he took office and the law and order in the state was under control.

Reality:

According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in the 10-month period after Adityanath assumed office, UP topped the list of states with fake encounters and custodial deaths.

"As far as death in judicial custody is concerned, UP again ranks top of the NHRC list. The state recorded an astounding 365 judicial deaths out of a total 1,530 deaths recorded in the country," NHRC said.

According to MHA data, UP's Bareilly recorded the highest number of custodial deaths at 25, followed by Agra (21) and Allahabad (19). Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi constituency recorded nine custodial deaths, while Adityanath's Gorakhpur constituency recorded two deaths. Communally sensitive Kasganj reported five custodial deaths.

In his first 10 months in office, there have been more than 1,100 police encounters in the state, NHRC said.

On assuming office, Adityanath had said that the police would have full freedom to deal with rising crime in the state.

The police launched 'Operation Clean' and it came with its allegations of extra-judicial killings.

-x-x-x-x-

Thus, it's little wonder that Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has termed Adityanath's report card an "illusion".

--IANS

vm/gd/vd