Diamond City Surat sees rise in crimes

SURAT: As the law and order situation in Surat is deteriorating, one after another case of heinous crimes, including murder, robbery, burglary, molestation and misdemeanors, are being reported day in and day out. The sudden fillip in crimes in the city has caused a stir and has led to a feeling of heightened anxiety and anger among the people. Echoes of the murder of the State Home Minister’s uncle have further accentuated the fear factor in the citizenry. Last month alone, 10 murders took place within 15 days, including that of the state’s high profile Home minister’s uncle. The collective conscience of the city got wounded with the killing of an innocent young girl by a psychotic lover in public. Illicit liquor is being sold openly in many areas of the city. Incidents of robbery and snatching have risen manifold. Questions are being raised by the citizens about the effectiveness and functioning of the law and order machinery particularly the police, and it is not out of place to refer that the present Delhi Police Commissioner, RakeshAsthana, in a brief span, has hugely restored the faith of people in the legitimacy of state and the police in Delhi. RakeshAsthana in his recent address to the media has laid much emphasis on proper policing to reduce the crime rate. During the press conference, he touched upon the decrease in crime rate in Delhi vis-a-vis previous years and expressed optimism on law and order situation in the capital in the coming days. When Asthana was asked about the deteriorating law and order situation in Surat where he himself had served as a police chief, he felt sad and said that the rise in crime in Surat is a cause of concern as well as embarrassment for the police department. As per his experience and understanding, corruption in the police department leads to disruption in the social ecosystem and consequently crime rate increases. He further said that such trend needs to be curbed immediately so that proper law and order is maintained and people’s faith in police is restored.