Police commissionerates won't help law & order, says Mayawati criticizing UP govt

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday said the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh should pay attention to improving law and order in the state and rise above party politics by taking stern action against criminals. Her statement came hours after the Yogi government approved the commissionerate system of policing in Lucknow and Noida, which aims at giving more powers to the police. 

'Government must pay attention to improve law and order'

"Not only by changing the police system in some places in Uttar Pradesh but taking strict legal action against criminal elements can bring about the right improvement in the state's deplorable law and order, which the government must pay attention to by rising above party politics," Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.

'Biggest step towards police reform'

"The biggest step towards police reform has been taken by our government today. Uttar Pradesh cabinet has approved the proposal to set up police commissioner system in Lucknow and Noida," the Chief Minister told reporters at a press conference in Lucknow. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister.  Adityanath said that state capital Lucknow and economic capital of the state Noida will have an ADG-level officer as police commissioner. Both police commissioners will have magisterial powers.

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40 police stations in Lucknow will be brought under commissioner

The system gives more powers, including magisterial powers, to police officers and is aimed at better and effective policing. Under the new system, 40 police stations in Lucknow will be brought under the police commissioner who will have a team of two IGs as joint commissioners, nine SP-rank officials and a lady officer of SP rank along with a lady officer of ASP rank, the CM said.

The lady officers will work exclusively for cases relating to crime against women and its control. In Noida, under the ADG rank official as commissioner, there will be two DIGs, five SPs, an SP-rank lady officer and an ASP rank official for traffic control. "Since the past 50 years, there was a demand to enforce the police commissionerate system for smart policing and today the cabinet has taken a decision in this regard," the CM said.

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