Jharkhand governor Droupadi Murmu has asked state DGP M.V. Rao to step up policing and ensure the safety and security of everyone, her directives coming in the light of rising crimes against women and children across the state.

The DGP’s meeting with Mumru at Raj Bhavan on Monday afternoon was described officially as a courtesy call, but a statement issued later by Raj Bhavan aired the Governor’s immediate concerns.

“Governor met with DGP to take stock of the law-and-order situation. During the meeting, she expressed her concern about crimes against women and asked the DGP to take appropriate actions immediately to arrest the situation so that people should move freely and safely,” the statement said.

Sources claimed that Murmu was unhappy about the gang rape of a mother of five minor children by 17 men in Dumka last week, the incident prompting National Commission for Women (NCW) to take suo motu cognizance and send notices to Jharkhand police for a time-bound probe.

So far, Dumka police have arrested one of the 17 accused.

Opposition BJP has been highlighting the alleged lawlessness in the state at its public meetings, saying that law-and-order had collapsed ever since the JMM-Congress-RJD government of Hemant Soren took charge in December last year. Several BJP delegations have over the recent months met with The Governor to express concern about the growing number of crimes against women and children in the state.

According to the state police website, till September this year, 1,359 rapes have been reported since January 2020. In 2019, over 1,500 rape cases were registered during the same period. State police spokesperson Saket Kumar Singh said that even though overall crime figures are low compared to previous years, they have started analysing crime patterns to take corrective steps.

“The DGP has asked CID to study the crimes committed this year, mainly those against women and children, to be able to understand patterns. In many cases, crimes are committed by the victim’s near and dear ones. Police are also running awareness drives at police stations to sensitise people. This apart, in each case, we always focus on arresting the culprits at the earliest and take the case to its logical conclusion.”

Around two months back, DGP Rao also announced Whatsapp-based helplines in all 24 districts for registering quick complaints regarding crime against women and children.