Akhilesh Yadav

For blaming the media for highlighting rape cases in Uttar Pradesh

He is somewhat right when it comes to bald facts, but still completely wrong in his implication. Generally, once a crime shakes a nation’s conscience—as has happened in these rapes and murders— the glare of the media falls on the state. It happened in Delhi after the Nirbahaya rape. But what this nonetheless underlines is that Uttar Pradesh has a serious law-and-order problem; not, as Yadav suggests, that this problem seems worse than it is because of incidents being “publicised more”.

It is because Yadav’s administration is inept that everyone believes that these are not isolated crimes. Ever since he took over as Chief Minister, there has been a progressive increase in violent crimes fuelled by lumpen elements in his own party. Rape might happen across the country; it is just that in Uttar Pradesh, tragedy is also compounded by apathy.