Targeting the state government, Congress provincial chief Jitu Patwari on Monday attributed the deteriorating law and order situation in Madhya Pradesh to lethargy on part of the Chief Minister and the Home Department he oversees.

Listing out a number of incidents, Patwari claimed that the law and order situation has become disorganised and weak, emboldening criminals.

He underlined several incidents of sexual assault on minors and described the situation as 'dire'. Patwari, who heads the MPCC, said that the decline in the control of crime is 'unprecedented' and cited several recent incidents in support of his claims.

He said that Bhai Dooj festivities in the state were sullied as the occasion coincided with the news of an elderly man molesting a 16-year-old girl—in the Intkhedi area of the state capital—in connivance with his wife.

A shopkeeper was thrashed at a busy marketplace in the state capital in broad daylight for merely referring to a customer as an uncle, he said.

Expanding the ambit of his offensive, Patwari also raked up the rape of a three-month-old infant in Morena and the kidnapping of a six-month-old in Guna district. He alleged that the kidnapping involved a random of Rs 14 lakhs.

Patwari blamed policies and law enforcement of the state government for having resulted in sentiments of neglect and fear among the people of the state.

Taking his offensive further, the Congress leader said that possibilities of a criminal-politician nexus need to be put to rest. He concluded that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav claims to work for the prosperity of various segments of society, but the reality is that all segments of people are suffering under the government's policies. The environment of lawlessness prevails, while the Chief Minister and his Home Department remain mere spectators.