AP: YSRCP government, TDP clash over crime rate NCRB stats

Hyderabad: The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh (AP) on Thursday slammed the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government over the alleged rising crime rate in the state last year. However, the AP government, citing official data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), claimed that the crime rate actually has came down in 2020.

TDP spokesman Pilli Manikya Rao demanded an explanation from the AP government over the state allegedly climbing down to third place in crime rate in the country despite “tough laws” being implemented in the province. The Andhra Pradesh government on the other hand, claimed that except for cyber crimes rising 1% in 2020, all other types of crimes have come down.

Manikya Rao asked the government to do some “soul searching” about the latest reports of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) which indicated a steady rise in crimes and atrocities in the state.

“It was shameful that the DGP was making political statements instead of talking about the action against 500 atrocities that took place in the past two and a half years in the state,” he remarked.

Addressing a press conference at Amaravati, the TDP spokesman stated that the law and order was “deteriorating so rapidly” that AP will soon stand in first place in the country in crime rate. TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh had visited the victim’s families and tried to highlight the problems being faced by women, girls and all sections.

However, the TDP  alleged that the police tried to create hurdles for his visit. Manikya Rao recalled how chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy reacted very sharply and came out with the Disha law when Priyanka Reddy was gang raped and murdered in Telangana.

He stated that Jagan had saluted the Telangana chief minister at that time when the culprits in the Disha murder were encountered with a forewarning. “It is high time that CM Jagan should explain why he was failing to give a similar response with regard to murders of weaker sections’ girls in the state,” Manikya Rao added.

The AP government on the other hand, citing the NCRB reports of 2019 and 2020, stated that the crime rate in the state has dropped. Murder has dropped 2%, crime against women 4%, crime against SC/St have reduced by 3%, kidnapping and abduction 18% and road accidents have reduced by 13%, it added.

Furthermore, using NCRB data, the AP government added that Cyber crime did increase by 1%, but that other crimes like dacoity decreased by 2%, robbery by 24% and theft by 16 percent.