LUCKNOW, DEC 20: The sprawling state of Uttar Pradesh has the highest incidence of cases of women and child abuse, including rape and abduction. And the hapless police have expressed their inability in curbing them.``Cases of women and children torture cannot be curbed by the police and courts. Society will also have to do its bit,'' said the state police chief Mahesh Chand Dwivedi, while speaking at a seminar held in the state capital on Monday. The horrifying statistics in this connection was provided by the National Crime Record Bureau(NCRB).As per the NCRB report, UP has the maximum number of dowry deaths, with the average being 2,229 every year and crime against women registering an overall increase of 14.5 per cent. One out of every four custodial deaths reported in the country comes from UP. Taking a strong objection to the exceptionally large number of custodial deaths, the NHRC is also reported to have written to the state police but the cases are still on rise.Similar are the figures on number of abductions. The report said that UP alone has 15 per cent more cases of kidnapping for ransom as compared to the national average.`` What else can you expect from a state where nearly three dozen ministers have criminal cases against them and nearly a dozen have their history-sheets opened in various police stations. This is also surprising as the Chief Minister Rajnath Singh claims that criminal cases have been checked in the state. In light of these figures, the statement is nothing but a blatant lie,'' said Rajendra Chowdhary, a Samajwadi Party leader.There has also been a steep 23.48 per cent hike in cases of criminal assault against women in the state meaning, half of the incidents of assault on women are reported from UP. Most shocking are the rising cases of child abuse which have registered an increase of 25 per cent and now the state is second only to Madhya Pradesh.``These cases cannot be curbed unless we work to bring out a total change in the basic thoughts of the people,'' Prabaha Dwivedi, Minister for Women Welfare, Child Development said.
