Congress cites surge in crime rate in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh

The opposition Congress on Wednesday, 24 July targeted the seven-month-old BJP government in Chhattisgarh claiming the law and order situation has "collapsed" in the state and crime rate is rising.

Raising the issue of law and order in the Zero Hour, senior Congress MLA and former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel sought a discussion on it by moving an adjournment motion notice.

Assembly Speaker Raman Singh allowed the discussion on the admissibility of the adjournment motion notice.

Taking part in the discussion, Congress MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant, alleged the law and order situation has been deteriorating in the state, which saw a change of guard in December when the BJP came to power.

In the last 6 months, 562 incidents of murder, 859 cases of sexual exploitation, 29 of dacoity, 215 of robbery, 1,576 of rape, 713 of ganja smuggling and several offences of cyber crimes have been reported, they claimed.

Chhattisgarh's ranking in criminal cases has been rising. Serious crimes like murder, stabbing, rape, robbery, fraud and smuggling have become a daily affair, the Congress members alleged.

"Three persons of a minority community were killed by a mob in Arang (Raipur district). In the last six months, the maximum number of offences, including murders, has taken place in Kabirdham, the native district of the Home Minister. State capital Raipur has become a hub of drug smuggling." they alleged.

The incident of (violence in) Balodabazar on June 10 (during a demonstration) has become an example of law and order failure not only in the state, but in the entire country, the opposition legislators claimed.

It has become mandatory for businessmen of Raipur to pay protection money to gangsters of Chhattisgarh as well as outside the state to run their enterprises, they alleged.

The Congress MLAs claimed criminal activities are taking place under the state government's protection and demanded admission of the adjournment motion notice and subsequent discussion on it.

In his reply, Deputy CM Sharma reeled out statistics on incidents of murder, rape, and other offences which occurred under the previous Congress government (2018-23) and sought to corner the opposition party.

Investigations are going on in a meticulous manner in coal scam and other important cases, he told the assembly.

An investigation was underway into the incident of violence in Balodabazar, he said.

After the Deputy CM's reply, Speaker Raman Singh rejected the adjournment motion notice.

Subsequently, Congress members staged a walk out from the house, saying they were dissatisfied with the government's reply.