UP top cop trashes opposition charge on crime, claims improvement

Amid a mounting opposition attack on the law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh, the state's top cop asserted on Friday that there was a drop in the crime rate due to prompt action by the police.

"Thanks to prompt action by the police, there has been a fall in the crime graph across the state," Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh told PTI here.

His claims came in the backdrop of stinging criticism of the Yogi Adityanath government by leaders of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress.

While SP chief Akhilesh Yadav rushed to the Raj Bhawan recently to draw the attention of Governor Ram Naik to the "deteriorating" crime scene in Uttar Pradesh, "where SP workers are being attacked by the henchmen of the ruling party", BSP supremo Mayawati issued statements deploring the law-and-order situation in the state.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also alleged that criminals were "roaming around freely, doing as they like" in Uttar Pradesh.

"In entire Uttar Pradesh, criminals are roaming around freely, doing whatever they wish. Criminal incidents continue to happen but it has fallen on deaf ears of the BJP government. Has the Uttar Pradesh government surrendered before criminals?," the Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh had said in a tweet.

Asked to comment on the opposition leaders' allegation of a spurt in the crime rate in the state, the DGP retorted, asking, "When was it (allegation) not there?"