Top cops of Uttar Pradesh Police have been engaged in cosmetic policing in the form of ‘Anti-Romeo’ drive and closure of illegal abattoirs to score brownie points with the new Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
However, the stark truth behind the cosmetic exercise was eclipsed by over a dozen cases of murders, robberies, rape and other sensational crimes in the last 24-hours.
DGP Javeed Ahmed and other top cops suddenly became proactive to ensure fulfilling various promises of BJP’s manifesto by introducing ‘Anti-Romeo’ squads across the State and clamping down against illegal slaughter houses hours after Yogi took over as Chief Minister.
Interestingly, the CM on Wednesday issued directions to ensure safety of women and girls and also check illegal slaughter houses in the State.
Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi ordered a ban on cow smuggling with immediate effect and asked the police to prepare an action plan to close down all illegal slaughter houses operating across the State.
“There should be a total ban on cow smuggling. The BJP Government will have zero tolerance on this matter,” the CM told senior police officials at a meeting in lucknow on Wednesday.
The CM said that to assess the legality of all slaughter houses operating in the city and rural areas, an action plan should be prepared. The directives were given after three mutton shops were set ablaze in Hathras and a crackdown was reported on slaughter houses across the State. There were reports that three slaughter houses were closed in Varanasi.
The Muncipal Corporations in lucknow, Allahabad, Meerut, Ghaziabad and Varanasi have issued orders to slaughter houses to show their NOC to concerned officials failing which their units would be closed.
It has been anticipated that the State Government could bring a legislation to streamline slaughter houses in the State and to allow only some of them on stringent norms.
In the run up to Assembly poll, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah had promised that all abattoirs in UP would be closed as their party takes over reins besides waiving off farmers’ loans.
While top cops have been busy with ‘cosmetic policing’ to send a message that the men in Khaki mean business now, the gory fact remains that ‘jungle raaj’ still prevailed in UP.
Sample this. 72 hours after BJP came to power, at least 50 murders took place in the State, of which more than a dozen were reported in the last 24-hours.
Yogi said that anti-social elements should be taken to task and the police would be punished if laxity is found on their part, a sources close to the government confirmed about the CM’s directive..
The CM also asked officials to review security cover given to VVIPs and politicians of the state and thereafter it should be changed.
Yogi also asked senior police officials to strengthen night patrolling so that incidents like dacoity and thefts could be controlled. “Get the feedback from your subordinates and then use the information to curb crime,” the CM said. However, state cabinet Minister and BJP government spokesperson Sidharthnath Singh said in lucknow that all illegal slaughter houses would be closed down at any cost.
“We have promised the people of the state that no illegal abattoirs would run in the state,” he said while adding that there are several shops that are operating without proper norms.
When asked about the violence on the meat shops in the state, Singh said,” Approval of the state government and its agencies likes environment and others should be taken for running these slaughter houses.”
Commenting on the much-hyped ‘Anti-Romeo’ squad of the UP Police, Singh said,”It is the duty of the police to ensure protection to the women and girls. But we have to see how these things would be done in the present frame work of law and there is a need for a new legislation.”
In Moradabad, Susheel Kumar Arora (55) of Bhagwatpur area was found dead and jewellery were looted from his house in the wee hours of Wednesday. Similarly in Agra, BJP leader Rahul aka Sandeep (28) of Tundla (Ferozabad) was hacked to death by Arvind on the Yamuna Expressway under Etmadpur police station area on Wednesday morning.
In Azamgarh, a salesman in a country liquor shop Sabhajeet was waylaid by three miscreants and as his father Gajraj (65) tried to come to his rescue, the miscreants shot him dead and critically injured Sabhajeet.
In Sitapur, a 3-year-old girl of Ramuwapur Chamran area of Pisawa was kidnapped by her neighbor Ram ladaut and Pradeep Kumar and later killed on Tuesday night. The police did not rule out possibility of sexual assault.
In Kotwali area in Fatehgarh, another 3-year-old girl was raped by Badelal on Tuesday night. In another incident reported from Muzaffarnagar, a 15-year-old girl in Charthaval area was murdered by her father who was against her relationship with a local boy on Tuesday night. The accused slit the victuim’s throat and threw the body at her lover’s doorstep.
In anonther case reported from Bulundshahr, a 7-year-old girl of Narsena area was kidnapped and murdered by Devendra in the wee hours of Tuesday.
In Shahjahenpur, the bodies of Feroj (25) and Gunja (20) were recovered from Bartara railway station on Tuesday afternoon. Both had bullet injuries marks and the police claimed that the boy killed the girl on being spurned after which he killed himself in a similar manner.
In Bareilly, Harishahai (35) of Bahedi was murdered on Tuesday. In Bulandhshar, body of a 28-year-old woman and 5-year-old boy was found lying unclaimed in Dibai area. The two were killed and later attempts were also made to burn the two alive.
In Manikpur area of Chitrakoot, a 13-year-old girl was raped by Nathu aka Nathul on Tuesday. In Baghpat, a clash over petty dispute in Badaut area left Brahm Singh (25) dead and Sudhir Singh critically injured on Wednesday morning.
In Dibiyapur area of Auraiya, Nause (60), his wife Ashmeen (35) and daughter Shabbu (2) were hacked to death in their house at Azadnagar area in the wee hours of Tuesday.
In Agra, Rs 27 lakh was looted by unidentified miscreants from Professor Yuvraj Singh from his house at Tajganj area on Tuesday. The miscreants assaulted and locked the family in one room and escaped with the booty.
In Gonda, a field officer of Magma Finance Company was carrying Rs 6.75 lakh when he was robbed by two armed miscreants in Khargupur area on Tuesday evening.
Besides, at least half a dozen killings took place just on Wednesday.
Meanwhile reports from Hathras confired that three shops selling meat and fish were set afire by unidentified persons, triggering panic in the area on Tuesday night. Reports confirmed that the arson incident took place in Manyawar Kanshiram Colony on Tuesday night. The shop owners said all their stock was charred.