States » NorthPosted at: Oct 1 2026 4:51PM


Before 2017, governments used to bow before mafia: CM Yogi

Lucknow, Oct1 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the law-and-order situation under previous governments, saying dreaded mafias held sway in every district before 2017, with parallel governments operating in the state.
“Governments used to rub their noses before the mafia; they knelt before them and the police were helpless. If the political leadership itself has a crooked backbone, how can it straighten law and order?” he said.
Adityanath was addressing a function at the Lok Bhavan auditorium here, where he flagged off 87 interceptor vehicles, conferred medals on brave police personnel and released former Uttar Pradesh DGP Prakash Singh’s book, ‘Sangharsh’.
The Chief Minister said government has undertaken police reforms after 2017 and claimed that Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to implement the police reforms advocated by Singh.
Seven police commissionerates are now functioning in the state, he said.“Today, a coordination of three elements — ideas, valour and technology — can be seen in the UP Police,” Adityanath said.
He said ‘Sangharsh’ brought to the fore the experiences and challenges faced during police service, while honouring the valour of brave personnel. The state-of-the-art interceptor vehicles were also dedicated to the police force for improving road safety.
“It is easy to sit in a closed room and make any remark about anyone. No matter how powerful a person may be and how much pride they may have in their position, if their security is withdrawn, they would not take long to chicken out in an atmosphere of anarchy,” the Chief Minister said.
He said healthy thinking is only possible in an atmosphere of security and that the vision of prosperity could be realised only in a secure environment.
The UP Police theme, ‘Aapki Suraksha, Hamara Sankalp’, reflected this sentiment, he said.
“When the Terai region was in the grip of terrorism, movement was possible only under the security of police and army. After sunset, movement would almost come to a halt. At that time, Prakash Singh faced these challenges as DGP,” Adityanath said.
He said Prakash Singh had to approach the Supreme Court for police reforms and added that Uttar Pradesh had taken important steps towards implementing them.
The Chief Minister said ideology was not merely a collection of words or an article, but also encompassed the challenges of practical life.
“Prakash Singh faced these challenges at every step during his service and completed his entire tenure. His ideology, which inspired the youth for a long time through lectures at various institutions, has now emerged in the form of a book,” he said.
“When conduct and thought align and move in the same direction, results emerge,”Adityanath said.
Referring to the law-and-order situation before 2017, he said people were often dismissed with the phrase, “UP wala”, while the police also faced major challenges.
“If the political leadership itself cannot take decisions, it becomes difficult to control law and order,” he said.
He said the condition of police reforms and infrastructure facilities was also unsatisfactory at the time. Only around 6,000 police personnel could be trained in a year, while police personnel had to live in dilapidated buildings.
PAC battalions had been disbanded and curfews remained in force for long periods following riots in several places, including Kosi Kalan, Meerut, Aligarh and Muzaffarnagar.
Under these circumstances, Uttar Pradesh came to be described as a ‘BIMARU’ state, he said, adding that challenges had emerged in several sectors, including the economy, employment, technology and implementation of welfare schemes.
“After 2017, efforts were made to change these circumstances and take the state forward,” Adityanath said.
He said police reforms had to go hand in hand with the integration of technology.
Under the Safe City initiative, more than 14 lakh cameras have been installed in cities across the state, he said, adding that they helped in preventing and detecting incidents. Integrated Command and Control Centres had also been established in the districts.
“When technology is combined with ideas and conduct, its results also become visible. Today, this change is visible in the identity of the UP Police,” the Chief Minister said.
Adityanath also paid tribute to late Inspector Sunil Kumar Singh, a brave officer associated with the UP Police's Special Task Force.
He said the Government of India had honoured Singh with the ‘Kirti Chakra’ for his valour, adding that the UP Police had received the honour for the first time.
Singh had killed four dreaded criminals in a face-to-face encounter on January 22, 2025. He was critically injured by bullets fired by the criminals and later succumbed to his injuries.
The Chief Minister honoured his wife and family members and paid tribute to his memory.
He said 16 police officers and personnel were honoured with the President’s Gallantry Awards at the programme, while 10 police officers and personnel received the Chief Minister’s Gallantry Medal.
Adityanath congratulated all the decorated police personnel.The Chief Minister said road safety remained a major challenge for the state.
“During the two-and-a-half to three years of COVID, around 24,000 people had died in the state, while 23,000-24,000 people lose their lives in road accidents every year. This can be controlled through technology and effective enforcement,” he said.
With this objective, 87 interceptor vehicles equipped with state-of-the-art equipment were dedicated to the UP Police.
He said violation of road safety rules affected not only an individual but also the entire family and ultimately society.
The interceptor vehicles would help ensure compliance with road safety standards and strengthen enforcement of traffic rules across districts.
Social Welfare Minister Asim Arun, former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Prakash Singh, DGP Rajeev Krishna, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Sanjay Prasad, Swami Dharmabandhu, Pawan Agrawal of Prabhat Prakashan and senior Uttar Pradesh Police officers, personnel and their family members were present on the occasion.UNI MBD AAB
Tags: #Before 2017# governments used to bow before mafia: CM Yogi
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