Major crimes lowest in seven years: Uttar Pradesh government data

LUCKNOW: Incidence of major crimes reported in Uttar Pradesh fell to the lowest in seven years in the seven months ended July, according to data released by the state government, while the number of people booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) was the highest in four years.

The data comes in the wake of a spate of crimes, including rapes of minors and killings in the state over the past few days which have led to opposition parties lashing out at the government.

The police attributed the decrease in major crimes to the fundamental changes brought in by the Yogi Adityanath government such as transparency in postings and stable tenure of officials. But while fewer crimes were reported during the two-month lockdown, imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19, the rate of crimes increased drastically after the easing of restrictions.

Incidence of serious crimes such as murder and rape fell 7.8% and 28% respectively year-on-year to 2,032 and 1,216. Compared to the data of 2016, last year of the previous SP government, cases fell 26% and 38.7% respectively under the two heads. Compared to 2013, crimes fell 27% and 26% respectively.