Where’s your anti-Romeo squad, Yogi Ji?

Despite tall claims made by Uttar Pradesh police in improvement in law and order followed by repeated encounters of `wanted’ criminals, crime against women is on the rise. They are being raped, harassed and blackmailed but the much-vaunted anti-Romeo squad of UP police has failed to instill confidence among women in the state.

A girl in Mathura committed suicide last week because police failed to arrest killers of her parents; instead she started receiving threatening calls. In Bahraich, a girl stops going to school because some local youngsters were teasing her. Despite lodging a complaint with the police, she was waylaid forcing her to stop her education.

Then there are cases of rape and murder, the number of cases of which has gone up on the watch of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is busy campaigning in Kerala and Gujarat, telling people of the great achievements of his ministry in maintaining law and order.

• On Wednesday a 20 year old girl Rakhi committed suicide in Mathura as she was frustrated by the shoddy investigation being conducted by the local police into her parent's murder on October 7. She had met the CM. She was assured help but after that she started getting intimidating calls. She threatened suicide if she failed to get justice. As police failed to arrest criminals and those who were threatening her, she committed suicide. To save their face Police have suspended the investigating officer in the case.
• In Shahajahanpur, a girl Aarti committed suicide because she was harassed by some ruffians. She had lodged a complaint with police and it had arrested two youth. But later they were released. They then started harassing her and threatened to rape her. Scared, Aarti hanged herself to death.
• Last week a girl was gang raped in Baghpat. Her family lodged a complaint. Police arrested the suspect but released them because they were close to a local BJP leader. These alleged rapists threatened the girl that they will now gang rape her in pubic. Scared girl committed suicide.
• A class 11 student turned up at SP City’s office in Bahraich on Friday last and threatened to commit suicide if the cops fail to act against local youths who were teasing her regularly. The girl studying in an inter college in the Dargah locality of Bahraich, claimed that whenever she went to her college or to hand over lunch to her father at his shop, local ruffians who she identified would make lewd comments and make passes. She claimed that when she resisted, they threatened to rape and kill her. She said that now she is so terrorised that she has stopped going to her school.
• In another case in Mahoba, student of BA in a private college claimed that she was sexually abused and blackmailed by a local youth. She said she was raped after forcing her to take intoxicant. She lodged a complaint with police but the police asked her to withdraw the case because otherwise she will face dire consequences.
• In Hardo, a girl was raped by a local criminal identified as Dimpi. The accused threatened to kill the girl if she revealed the incident to anyone. However, the matter came to light when the girl earlier this week complained of sickness and a medical check up revealed she was pregnant. When parents of the girl went to lodge a case against the accused, local police forced them to reach a compromise.