Uttar Pradesh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna strongly countered the opposition’s claims in the state assembly on Tuesday, which cited incorrect figures on violence and harassment against women.

He emphasised that law and order in Uttar Pradesh is at its strongest under the Yogi government.

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“In the last seven and a half years, there has been a significant decline in all types of crime, including crimes against women. The state government has also been highly effective in ensuring that criminals are punished,” he stated.

Answering the opposition’s queries, Suresh Khanna revealed that between January 1, 2024, and November 30, 2024, a total of 4,18,504 complaints were registered on the 1090 Women Power Line, out of which 4,09,912 complaints were resolved, achieving a resolution rate of 97.95%. He further said that action is underway to address the remaining 8,592 pending cases.

Cabinet Minister Suresh Khanna highlighted the consistent decline in dowry death cases, stating, “In 2017, 2,524 cases of dowry deaths were reported. Between January 1 and October 31, 2024, the number of cases registered stands at 1,418. In 2023, 2,061 such incidents were recorded.”

Emphasising the government’s efforts to strengthen prosecution and ensure swift convictions, Khanna asserted, “No government in the history of Uttar Pradesh has achieved this level of success in punishing criminals.”

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna provided detailed data on convictions under the POCSO Act, stating: “In 2017, 415 people were punished, while the numbers increased to 631 in 2018, 665 in 2019, and 535 in 2020. Significant progress was made in subsequent years with 1,230 convictions in 2021, 2,313 in 2022, and 2,841 in 2023. From January 1 to December 15 this year, 2,440 people have been successfully punished.”

He added: “By running a special campaign, 48 death sentences were given from July 1, 2023 to December 11, 2024. During this period, life imprisonment was awarded in 6,065 cases, 20 years and above in 1,046 cases, 15 to 19 years in 73 cases, 10 to 14 years in 3,610 cases, 5 to 9 years in 5,564 cases, and less than five years in 22,298 cases.”

Suresh Khanna stated that since the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita came into effect, 29 individuals have been convicted under its provisions between July 1 and December 12. Citing NCRB data, he highlighted that as per the report available till 2022, a decline in crimes against women has been recorded across all categories. Uttar Pradesh ranks 24th in the country for rape cases, indicating that 23 states have a higher incidence than UP.

Further, Khanna pointed out that UP stands at 17th position in cases under Section 354. Apart from this, 245 murder cases were registered in 2016, whereas 175 cases were registered in 2022, 141 in 2023, and 126 cases were registered so far in 2024, reflecting a 48.57 percent decline.

Similarly, dowry deaths have decreased by 16.68%, rape cases by 25.34%, and incidents of molestation by 14.31%. Khanna also highlighted that 19 states report higher crime rates under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) than Uttar Pradesh.