The records available with the state IG Crime and the State Crime Records Bureau offices indicate a noticeable increase in the various heads of crime against Dalits in the last one-and-half months.

The cases under the SC/ST Act coupled with minor offences have shot up between the last week of May and first week of July. Crimes like murder and rape too have escalated during this period.

Mayawati had held a meeting of police officers on May 24 where she had ordered the SPs to attend each and every complaint related to the SCs/STs personally.

Director General of Police Vikram Singh was asked to visit each spot where incidents of Dalit murders and rape took place across the state. Since then Singh has visited 18 such spots.

Beside Mayawati’s directives, ADG (Law and Order), Brij Lal, cited two other reasons behind the rise in the number of FIRs.

“The specific order issued by the government has made the police pay more attention to the complaints related to the Dalits. This has increased the number of SC/ST cases across the state,” said Lal.

“Plus, a Dalit subjected to an atrocity can be paid a compensation of between Rs 10,000 to over Rs 1 lakh. The Dalits are now aware of the compensation and have started lodging an FIR even against a petty altercation,” he added.

“There are specific pockets where complaints related to the SC/ST cases are pouring in. These districts include Hardoi, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sultanpur, Azamgarh, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Etawah, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budhha Nagar,” said GP Sharma, IG (Crime).

Cases in point
JANUARY to APRIL
Murder and rape: 139 cases
Grevious offences: 126 cases
Other cognisable offences: 800 cases

MAY 25 to TILL DATE
Murder and rape: 121 cases
Grevious offences: 101 cases
Other cognisable offences: 687 cases