Nagpur: Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, on Wednesday cited figures to show that the total number of crimes had come down from 39,4017 in 2020 to 37,4038 in 2022. Rejecting the opposition charge that there was a collapse in law and order in the state, he said, far from it there was a decrease of over 20,000 crime cases.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Delhi, Kerala, Haryana, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh had recorded more crimes than Maharashtra. In rape cases Maharashtra was at 16th place while in cases of atrocities on women the state comes on seventh place in proportion to states’ total population. “There was vast difference between perception and facts on ground,” the deputy CM said.
Maharashtra is safe as compared to other states: DCM Fadnavis
Fadnavis said the opposition was misinterpreting the NCRB data which should be read on per capita basis and in relation state’s population He insisted that the NCRB number of cases appeared high because of the larger population of the state. “Maharashtra relatively safe and peaceful for the residents as compared to several other states in the country,” Fadnavis claimed.
The opposition members, particularly Nana Patole (Congress) and Jayant Patil (NCP) targeted deputy chief minister Fadnavis for deteriorating law and order situation in the state. During discussion on last week’s resolution, opposition legislators from Vidarbha said Maharashtra’s second capital had become a crime capital, especially after receiving a large haul of arms, ammunition and drugs.
Patole said 557 guns were recovered from the city last year, which is very high when compared with 274 found in Mumbai and 250 in Pune. “The home minister of the state hails from Nagpur, but this year 546 illegal weapons were seized here in comparison to 224 in Mumbai and 127 in Pune,” Patole said quoting official website figures.
Replying to the charge, Fadnavis said that some people were deliberately painting Nagpur as the crime capital and trying to defame the city but in fact, the crime rate of Nagpur has decreased in comparison to the previous year.
DCM Fadnavis defends his hometown Nagpur
“Some people have a special love for Nagpur. Ever since I became the Chief Minister, the love of many people for Nagpur has been growing. A lot of statements appear to defame this city. In crime, Nagpur was ranked second in the country in 2021, now Nagpur is ranked eighth. It is actually ranked 22nd or 23rd in proportion to population size,” Fadnavis said and adding that by tagging Nagpur as crime capital they are harming the city’s prospects of attracting investment.
Fadnavis also said that there has been a reduction in crimes against women, murders, burglaries and rapes. “I think the city is being defamed deliberately, I request the opposition leaders to desist from this tendency,” he added
On opposition charge that drug mafia was unfettered in the state, Fadnavis said that the state has taken action against over 24,000 people this year while the figure was just 5,021 in 2020 and during the period of MVA.
