CAG report on UP crime gives fresh ammunition to opposition

Virtually providing a fresh weapon to the opposition against the Akhilesh Yadav government on the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in its latest report today noted a sharp rise in crimes against women in the state.
The report, which assumes significance ahead of crucial Assembly elections in the state barely a few months away, was tabled in the state legislature.
It pointed out that there has been 61 per cent increase in crimes against women between 2010-11 to 2014-15.
A major portion of the period under CAG review was during the tenure of the Samajwadi Party government which came to power in March, 2012.

It said that while crime against women in 2012-13 was 24,652, it rose to 31,810 in 2013-14.
"The crimes against women did not decline in 2014-15," it read.

Attributing the increase in crime graph to lack of sufficient police force, the CAG said that against sanctioned limit of 178.48 policemen per one lakh population, only 81 were available, marking a shortfall of 55 per cent.
Latching on to the report, opposition BJP pooh-poohed the government's claims of taking effective steps to check crime against women.
"It vindicates the view of our party that the SP government has failed to protect the dignity of women and provide them safety and security," BJP General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

The CAG said, "As compared to total number of violent
crimes in the country, UP tops the list with 12.7 per cent and crime against the women are maximum. If the shortage of force is not attended immediately then the situation will become worse."
It asked the government to ensure adequate force to check crimes, especially agianst women.
The report said that as per the recommendation of Union Home Ministry to raise the number of women force to 33 per cent, the number of female police was only 4.55 per cent in the state, which is the most populous in the country.

It recommended that keeping in mind the large scale of crimes against minor girls and women, the state should seriously consider the recommendation of the MHA.
As per data compiled by the CAG, while the cases of rape with minor girls (11-18 age group) was 1,033 in 2012-13, it rose to 1,619 in 2014-15.
The data stated that there were 2,280 cases of attack on minor girls to outrage their modesty in 2012-13, which rose to 4,297 in 2014-15.
The report also pointed towards lapses in financial assitance to rape victims chalked out by the Centre on the directives of the Supreme Court.

It said Rs 15.03 crore sanctioned by the Centre as assistance was not utilised by the state in 2010-12, despite the fact that 3,544 incidents of rape were reported during the period.