UP CM Yogi Adityanath Warns: Samajwadi Party Poses 'Serious Threat' To Women's Safety

Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister, criticised the Samajwadi Party's approach to women's safety, citing decreased crime rates and initiatives like the Anti-Romeo Squad under BJP's tenure since 2017.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticised the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) on Tuesday, labelling it a 'serious threat' and alleging that its members are involved in crimes against women.

During the Monsoon session of the state assembly, Adityanath referenced a 2014 statement by the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, "ladke hain, galti ho jati hai" (They are boys, mistakes happen).

Adityanath's Remarks on Women's Safety

Adityanath stated, "The state government is completely serious about women's safety. The result of this seriousness is that cases related to crimes against women and children are continuously decreasing. There is a fear of action in the minds of criminals." He made these comments during Question Hour on the second day of the UP Assembly's Monsoon Session while responding to SP member Ragini Sonkar's query about preventing sexual exploitation.

He mentioned that after the BJP government was formed in 2017, their first initiative to curb miscreants was creating the "Anti-Romeo Squad." Pointing at opposition members, he said, "It is sad to say that when the Anti-Romeo Squad was formed, the first to oppose it was the Samajwadi Party." He further added, "There is no hesitation in saying that in cases of crimes against women, people associated with the Samajwadi Party are found to be directly or indirectly involved."

Statistics Presented by Adityanath

In the state Assembly on Tuesday, Adityanath presented various statistics. He stated, "If we look at incidents like dowry in comparison to 2016, there has been a decrease of about 17.5 per cent in 2023-24. In comparison to 2016, a decrease of 25.30 per cent was registered in rape incidents in 2023-24." He noted that between 2017 and 2024, the state government bolstered its prosecution wing for cases of sexual harassment against minors.

He added that from 2017 to 2024, there have been 9,875 punishments under the POCSO Act. Between 2022 and 2024 alone, there were 16,718 convictions under this Act. These included 21 death penalties and 17,013 life sentences. Additionally, there were 4,653 sentences of ten years or more and 10,331 sentences of less than ten years.

Efforts to Improve Women's Safety

Adityanath highlighted several measures taken by his administration to improve women's safety. He mentioned that Women Power Line 1090 and other helplines have been integrated with emergency response number 112. Women's help desks have also been established in 1,528 police stations across Uttar Pradesh.

He also reported significant recruitment efforts within the police force during his tenure. Since taking office in 2017, approximately 1.5 lakh policemen have been recruited. Before his tenure began in 2017, only around 10,000 women personnel were recruited; however, between then and now more than 20,000 women police constables have joined the force.

Referring back to Mulayam Singh Yadav's controversial statement from a rally in Moradabad in 2014 where he questioned capital punishment for rape by saying "Ladke hain galti ho jati hai" (Boys are boys; mistakes happen), Adityanath criticised SP's stance on women's safety issues.

The Chief Minister emphasised that since coming into power in March 2017 under BJP rule until now (2023-24), they have seen increased conviction rates largely due to their strengthened prosecution wing handling sexual harassment cases involving minors resulting so far achieving a total number convictions reaching up-to figure around twenty-four thousand four hundred two (24k+).

This comprehensive approach towards enhancing law enforcement capabilities coupled with integrating various support systems aims at ensuring better protection for women and children alike throughout the entire region thereby reducing crime rates significantly over the past few years according latest available data shared during an assembly session recently held earlier week.