The byelection results of Gorakhpur and Phulpur may not be the only bad news for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
Data shared by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) show the state to be failing on crucial benchmarks for the safety of citizens.
As per statistics available, the state has reported the highest number of communal incidents for three years. While 155 incidents took place in 2015, the number was 162 the following year. Things got worse in 2017 when 195 incidents were recorded.
Last year -- 2017 -- was when Yogi Adityanath took over as the Chief Minister in March after a thumping BJP victory.
According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in the 10-month period, after Adityanath took over power, Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states of fake encounters and custodial deaths.
"As far as death in judicial custody is concerned, UP again ranks top of the NHRC list. The state recorded an astounding 365 judicial deaths out of a total 1,530 deaths recorded in the country," NHRC said.
Since the Yogi Adityanath-led government came to power 10 months ago, there have been more than 1,100 police encounters in the state.
The UP Chief Minister had said that the police would have full freedom to deal with rising crime rates in the state and asked criminals to either surrender or leave the state.
The police promptly launched 'Operation Clean' but with it came allegations of extra-judicial killings.
HIGHEST NUMBER OF CUSTODIAL DEATHS
According to MHA data, UP's Bareilly recorded the highest number of custodial death at 25, followed by Agra (21) and Allahabad (19).
While PM's constituency Varanasi recorded nine judicial deaths, Chief Minister's constituency Gorakhpur recorded two deaths. Communally sensitive Kasganj reported five deaths in judicial custody.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav deriding UP CM Adiityanath on the encounter spree on the day of UP bypoll results, said,"He (Yogi) instructed the police to kill criminals or even to chop them into pieces if needed."
UP is followed by West Bengal with 127 deaths, Punjab and Maharashtra tied for the 3rd place with 118 deaths in judicial custody.
RISE IN ENCOUNTERS
Other states that follow are Madhya Pradesh with 107 and Bihar with 102. Jammu and Kashmir which witnesses the highest number of encounters notched four custodial deaths.
The number of cases registered by NHRC is on basis of complaints received based on intimations about deaths in judicial and police custody.
Maharashtra tops when it comes to deaths in police custody with 19 deaths, followed by Gujarat with 14. The other states are Assam and Tamil Nadu both recording 11 each. Punjab is at No. 5 with 10 and UP at the sixth position with 9 deaths reported.
FAKE ENCOUNTERS
Out of the 19 fake encounters recorded during this 10-month period UP again leads with six deaths. Incidentally, in Jammu and Kashmir, there was only one fake encounter registered.
Naxal-affected Jharkhand recorded only one such case. Rajasthan recorded three and Punjab two cases of fake encounters.
In criminal cases too UP topped. Of the over 30,000 murders registered in the country in 2016, UP had 4,889 cases.
In 2015 and 2014 UP lived up to its gory facts: 4,732 and 5,150 cases of murder registered. Again the highest in the country.
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