Lucknow: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday targeted previous govts, alleging that before 2017 Uttar Pradesh was effectively run by mafia networks and that political leadership had compromised with criminal elements while the police remained unable to act.Speaking at Lok Bhavan after flagging off 87 interceptor vehicles for Uttar Pradesh Police, Yogi said the state’s law-and-order situation had changed significantly over the past nine years through police reforms, technology-driven policing and what he described as firm political resolve.“Before 2017, dreaded mafias operated in almost every district. Parallel govts used to run. Govts would bow before the mafia and the police remained helpless,” he said, adding that without political support the police could not ensure stronger enforcement.Yogi said Uttar Pradesh was the first state to implement key police reforms advocated by former director general of police Prakash Singh. He said seven police commissionerates are now operational, which, according to govt, has improved policing in major urban centres and strengthened accountability.Linking public safety with development, chief minister said law and order was essential for social stability and economic progress. He also criticised armchair commentary on policing, saying security should not be taken for granted. “Prosperity and development can flourish only in a secure environment,” he said.Recalling earlier decades, Yogi referred to terrorism-related challenges in the Terai region and credited Prakash Singh with confronting those issues while pushing institutional reforms. He contrasted current arrangements with what he described as poor infrastructure and limited capacity before 2017.He said training facilities were inadequate and only about 6,000 personnel could be trained annually, while PAC battalions had been disbanded. He cited prolonged curfews and repeated communal violence in areas including Meerut, Aligarh, Kosi Kalan and Muzaffarnagar, and said the state had been labelled a “BIMARU” region during that period.Yogi said govt’s push since 2017 extended beyond policing to employment, technology adoption, welfare delivery and economic growth, aimed at changing the state’s overall image and improving governance.On technology-led policing, he said more than 14 lakh CCTV cameras have been installed in cities under Safe City initiative to aid both crime detection and prevention. He added that Integrated Command and Control Centres have been set up across districts to improve surveillance, monitoring and coordination.Chief minister also paid tribute to STF inspector Sunil Kumar Singh, who was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, describing it as the first time a UP Police officer received the decoration. He said 16 police personnel were awarded President’s Police Medal for Gallantry and 10 received Chief Minister’s Gallantry Medal.Highlighting road safety, Yogi said annual road fatalities in the state were close to the number of deaths recorded during the Covid period, at around 24,000. He said the newly inducted interceptor vehicles, equipped with enforcement and monitoring systems, would strengthen traffic regulation, improve compliance and help reduce deaths.
