UP now recognised globally for robust law-order says Adityanath govt

Lucknow, Mar 16 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh has undergone a remarkable transformation under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and is now recognised in India and globally for its robust law and order, the state government said in a statement on Sunday.
    It said the achievement was a testament to the zero-tolerance policy adopted over the past eight years.
    The statement was released ahead of the Adityanath-led BJP government completing eight years in office on Wednesday.
    It said Adityanath, with unwavering resolve, turned the impossible into reality -- establishing a governance model where every resident feels secure, knowing justice would be swift and uncompromising.
    Since taking charge in 2017, the Adityanath administration has launched an unrelenting crackdown on criminals and the mafia, the government said and added 222 dreaded criminals were killed in police encounters and 8,118 injured in operations.
    The police booked 79,984 criminals under the Gangster Act and 930 under the National Security Act, and confiscated or demolished illegal assets worth over Rs 14,200 crore.
    By reclaiming illegally-occupied properties and dismantling criminal empires, the state government said it ensured that Uttar Pradesh was no longer a haven for crime but a beacon of security and justice.
    Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said the government prosecuted 68 identified mafia, leading to life imprisonment or severe sentencing for 31 mafia and 74 co-criminals in 73 cases from 2017 to 2024 end. Two were given the death penalty.
    Illegal property worth more than Rs 4,076 crore was seized.
    The state government has also taken a tough stand on crimes against women and minors.
    Culprits have been punished in 27,425 cases, including 11,254 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and 3,775 dowry deaths, it said.
    Between July 2023 and December 2024, the state government's Operation Conviction led to the award of death penalty for 51 criminals and life imprisonment for 6,287. Another 1,091 criminals were sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, 3,868 for 10 to 19 years and 5,788 for less than five years.
    The Adityanath administration freed more than 66,000 hectares of land from illegal occupation by forming a four-tier anti-land mafia task force, the government said.
    Since 2017, the Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) has prevented 653 heinous crimes while the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested 130 terrorists and 171 Rohingya/Bangladeshi criminals and their associates.
    With historic reforms in policing and governance, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a national model for law and order, the government said in the statement.
    The Adityanath government's zero-tolerance policy has dismantled criminal networks and instilled a deep sense of security among citizens, marking a transformative shift in the state's safety and governance, it added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)