Lucknow, Jun 29 (PTI) Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Saturday hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government alleging that criminals are "roaming around freely, doing whatever they wish" in Uttar Pradesh, drawing a quick retort from the police.
While the state police claimed a decline in crime, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav joined her in attacking the Adityanath government.
"The government is manipulating data to drive home the point that crime is declining," Yadav said.
State Law Minister Brijesh Pathak, when asked about Gandhi's remarks, asserted that since the formation of BJP government in the state, network of criminals has been broken.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi earlier wrote on Twitter, "In entire Uttar Pradesh, criminals are roaming around freely, doing whatever they wish. Incidents of crime continue to happen but it has fallen on deaf ears of the BJP government. Has the Uttar Pradesh government surrendered before criminals?"
She also tagged along with her tweet news headlines of different crime reports in the state.
Replying to Gandhi's tweet, the state police tweeted, "UP police has initiated strict action in serious crimes. In the past two years, 9,925 criminals were arrested and 81 killed. In action under NSA (National Security Act), property worth Rs 200 crore was seized. There has been a decline in incidents of dacoity, murder, loot and kidnapping."
"Visible policing, strong monitoring, effective action against hardened criminals & public interaction has enabled us to win the confidence of people. Crime under all major heads is down by 20-35%. We are committed to the safety and security of citizens of the state," it added.
UP minister Pathak said, "The network of criminals has been broken in the state. Our government is acting tough on criminals. There are incidents of crime due to enmity and prompt action is taken by police wherever crime is reported."
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party chief said the state government's claim of crime control was "hollow".
"The UP government's claim of crime control is hollow. Everyday loot, murder and rape is happening in the state, but the government is mum. Police are taking law into their hands and harassing people," Akhilesh Yadav said.
He also alleged that a teenager accused of theft was tortured in the state capital.
"If such is the situation in Lucknow, one can imagine the state of affairs in other districts," he said.
After a video of two inmates flashing a countrymade pistol in the state's Unnao jail went viral on social media, the Samajwadi Party had termed the incident an "open challenge" to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The party alleged that jails in the state were in the pocket of criminals.
