UP Congress chief targets BJP over crimes against women, minors

• UP Congress chief Aradhana Mishra targets the BJP government over alleged crimes against women and minors

• Mishra cites 12 recent cases, including sexual assaults involving girls and the death of a 14-year-old rape survivor during childbirth

• She demands accountability, citing crime figures and recent Supreme Court criticism of the UP Police

Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ on Sunday targeted the BJP government over alleged crimes against women and minors in the state, citing a series of cases reported from different districts in the past week.

Mishra, who was appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress chief two days ago, alleged that the state has become increasingly unsafe for women under the BJP government and questioned the administration’s response to crimes involving minors.

“Beti Bachao was not merely a slogan but a warning,” Mishra said in a statement.

Citing 12 cases reported over the past week, Mishra referred to alleged sexual assault incidents involving girls in Bulandshahr, Basti, Banda, Muzaffarnagar, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Prayagraj and Lucknow.

She also highlighted the death of a 14-year-old rape survivor in Sonbhadra during childbirth, saying the incident underscored the “grave consequences” of crimes against minors.

Mishra claimed that 66,381 cases of crimes against women were registered in Uttar Pradesh last year, including 3,516 rape cases, 3,206 murder cases and 31 acid-attack cases.

The Congress leader also cited a September 30 Supreme Court observation concerning the Uttar Pradesh Police’s handling of a criminal investigation. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva had questioned the functioning of the state police and asked why the force should not be disbanded.

Mishra questioned the state government’s alleged failure to ensure the safety of girls travelling to and from schools and called for accountability over the reported crimes.

“Daughters want to live not in fear but with dignity and security,” she said.

With PTI inputs