Skip to main content

Favoured criminals, cops creating 'disorder' in UP, Yogi has no clue now to gain control

By Sandeep Pandey, Kushagra Kumar*
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has now on numerous occasions claimed that the state has been rid of criminals, who have either been killed in the 125 encounter deaths that have taken place or they have got their bails cancelled and gone back to jails after he took over the reins as CM. 
However, a look at daily newspapers for the last few months will reveal that there is a serious crime taking place almost every single day. Rape followed by murder is becoming such a common phenomena that UP is being labeled as a rape capital. So, what is really going on?
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath knows only one way of controlling law and order and that is by using brute force and intimidation. He described it as ‘thok do’ policy, that is, delivering summary justice by elimination of criminals. However, the impact seems to have been quite the opposite. The criminals appear to have no fear left considering the frequency of crimes being committed in UP. Unusual incidents like hijacking of a bus for ransom have taken place.
The Yogi Adityanath government withdrew cases against him, which numbered 16 when he became the CM with serious charges as attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and rioting, and got a co-petitioner against him in a 2007 hate speech case, lodged after the intervention of High Court, Pervez Parvaz convicted in a gang rape case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Clearly actions of Yogi Adityanath are politically motivated. And that is the basic problem. His government demonstrates amazing alacrity in registering cases against political opponents. Number of false cases were registered against activists and common people in the name of having participated in violence during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens which included Advocate Mohammad Shoaib and retired Indian Police Service officer SR Darapuri both of whom were under house arrest when the violence occurred.
The UP government, even before their crime was proved in a court of law, sent notices for recovery for the damages during violence and put up photographs of the accused on hoardings at prominent places in Lucknow. Blatant misuse of police and state machinery to achieve his political and personal agenda made it obvious that he was not serious about improving the law and order situation but merely in using it for political vendetta.
Yogi Adityanath government demonstrates amazing alacrity in registering cases against political opponents. That is crux of the problem
This had two effects.
One, the criminals were emboldened. They knew that because the actions of the government were politically motivated they would get away with crimes only by pulling the right strings. Especially, the criminals with upper caste background have a field day. They believe that it is ‘their’ government after a long rule of Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Caste leaders and are taking full advantage of it.
Whether it is the accused in the gruesome Hathras rape and murder case or the daylight killing in Ballia in a dispute over election to a Fair Price Shop ownership in the presence of Sub Divisional Magistrate and Circle Officer, the administration and government brazenly came out appearing to be in support of the perpetrators of crimes.
Second, the police, having realized that so long as they toe the line of the government nothing will happen to them, have also been emboldened to take law into their hands. Burning the dead body of Hathras rape victim in wee hours preventing the participation of girl’s family is an example. Another example is Mahoba Superintendent of Police who was allegedly involved in extortion from mining businessmen and had openly threatened a businessman who was not complying with his demands. 
After the businessman Indrakant Tripathi was killed the SP has gone underground and is inaccessible to Special Investigation Team appointed by the state government. A youth was arrested by UP police from all the way in his village in Odisha for sending tweets against the CM and Prime Minister. It is incredible that UP police is not able trace its own officer for investigation. What can be a better example than this of lawlessness prevailing in UP? 
Morari Bapu felicitating Faisal Khan in Muhua, Gujarat 
Hence Yogi Adityanath may be right is saying that criminals have been eliminated or are in jail but that is only one part of the story. Now it is the state machinery which is perpetrating the crime directly or patronizing criminals aligned with the ruling party. Favoured criminals and police both have created a situation of disorder in UP and the government or CM don’t seem to have a clue to gain control over the situation. 
Yogi must realize that the only way law and order can be established is by following the rule of law, even though it may be time consuming, and by being just and fair. Arbitrariness and highhandedness will only lead to anarchy as is happening today. Political abuse of the machinery can never set things right.
The shortsighted and sectarian world view of CM prevents him from seeing that his approach is the source of problem. But instead of taking a corrective step he seems to be doing more of the same mistake. The UP government has announced the formation of Special Security Force with powers to search or arrest without warrant or order of a magistrate.
What Yogi Adityanath wants is more power to persecute people but without any accountability. However, with his penchant to go after political opponents, such draconian measures, as the history of such laws as demonstrated, will be misused and will fail to deliver the objective for which they are being instituted - to improve the law and order situation.
A most recent example of how UP government has got its priorities all mixed up is the case filed against well know peace and communal harmony activist Faisal Khan accusing him of trying to disturb amity because he performed namaz in a temple in Mathura. The police has just chosen to selectively focus on the namaz action overlooking his 84 kos parikrama of Brij, reciting verses of Ramcharitmanas in the temple and accepting prasad and blessings from the priest, all in a very congenial atmosphere.
The police went from Mathura to arrest Faisal from his Delhi residence where he has also built a Sabka Ghar, a commune dedicated to victims of discriminatory violence. Among other things, Faisal has been honoured by Muraru Bapu in Mahua, Gujarat, has undertook a foot march from Delhi to Haridwar is support of saints fasting for conservation of Ganga and is on the Trustee Board of Sarva Dharm Sadhbhav Trust in Ayodhya meant to create a all faith harmony centre there. This also proves that UP government has lost the ability to distinguish right from the wrong.
As the CM refuses to budge from this chosen path, now a well recognized trait of Bhartiya Janata Party politicians, his state hurtles towards more anarchy.
---
*Magsaysay award winning social activist, Sandeep Pandey is vice president of Socialist Party (India); Kushagra Kumar is a student

Comments

TRENDING

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra  Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas*  Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan  Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.

Sandra Gonzalez Sanabria: An inspiring life from Colombia’s Amazonian valley

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  In the village of Héctor Ramírez, known as Agua Bonita, in La Montañita, Caquetá, Colombia, a vision of peace and renewal is unfolding. In the pre-2016 period, this would have been nearly impossible for outsiders to visit, as it was the epicenter of violent resistance against state oppression. However, after the Peace Accord was signed between the Colombian government and former revolutionaries—marking the end of a 70-year insurgency that claimed over 400,000 lives until 2025, including civilians, rebel fighters, and security personnel—things began to change. Visiting Agua Bonita during the Global Land Forum in Bogotá revealed a village of hope and resilience. Former FARC revolutionaries have settled here and transformed the village into a center of peace and aspiration.

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative   At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.

Activists allege abduction and torture by Delhi Police Special Cell in missing person probe

By A Representative   A press statement released today by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleges that several student and social activists have been abducted, illegally detained, and subjected to torture by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The CASR claims these actions are linked to an investigation into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, an editorial team member of 'Nazariya' magazine.

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman*   The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.

Gender violence defies stringent laws: The need for robust social capital

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra*  The tragic death of Miss Soumyashree Bisi, a 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan College, Balasore, who reportedly self-immolated due to harassment, shocked the conscience of Odisha. Even before the public could process this horrifying event, another harrowing case emerged—a 15-year-old girl from Balanga, Puri, was allegedly set ablaze by miscreants. These incidents are not isolated; they highlight a disturbing pattern of rising gender-based violence across the state and the country.