Law and order 'totally collapsed' in Uttarakhand: Cong in House

Opposition Congress in the Uttarakhand Assembly vehemently raised the issue of "collapsing law and order situation" Thursday, saying girls were "not safe anywhere in the state".

Citing the recent gang rape of a minor at a city school, the Congress members said girls in the state were safe neither at school hostels nor in shelter homes.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Indira Hridayesh said law and order has "totally collapsed" in Uttarakhand where heinous crimes such as murder, loot, and rape are being committed with impunity.

Initiating a debate on the issue under an adjournment motion in the House, Hridayesh said the gang rape of a minor girl at a school on the outskirts of the city and the rape and murder of another in Dunda area of Uttarkashi confirm "there is no authority to ensure the safety of our daughters".

"The appalling condition of girls at the city's shelter homes is also not hidden from anyone," she said.

"Perpetrators of such crimes are never punished. The newspapers carry reports for a few days and the matter is forgotten. This has emboldened criminals," she said.

Citing data which reflected a rise in crime against women, Congress MLA and PCC president Pritam Singh said as many as 340 cases of rape have been reported in the state in just eight months.

"The chief minister talks about bringing investors to the state but no investor will come with a law and order scenario like this," Singh warned.

Replying on behalf of the state government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash Pant said cases of crime against women show a rising trend but that is because more cases are being registered now "unlike during the previous government".

As Pant tried to explain using a comparison of records of criminal cases registered during the previous regime and now, Opposition members in the House noisly protested, saying they were looking for solution and not data.

After the intervention of Speaker Prem Chand Aggarwal, Pant began again. Pant said "there is no place for criminals" in the state.

"Acting against criminals is our commitment and we are doing exactly that. Immediate action was taken in all the cases cited by the Opposition colleagues. The accused were booked and put behind bars. Our effort is to ensure that such incidents are not reiterated and Devbhoomi's name is not tainted," he said.