Rule of law and the rise of women power in Uttar Pradesh

Prashant KumarThere was a time when "law and order in Uttar Pradesh" evoked unease rather than assurance. Policing was reactive, deterrence was weak, and for women in particular, public spaces carried an unspoken caution. That landscape has undergone a structural reset over the past nine years — not merely in statistics, but in the deeper architecture of state capacity, administrative intent, and societal confidence.At the heart of this transformation lies a principle I have long held: law and order is not an abstract administrative goal. It is the foundation upon which dignity, opportunity, and economic growth are built. A state that cannot guarantee safety cannot unlock its human potential. In Uttar Pradesh, this principle has been put to work with unusual clarity under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath — anchored in a zero-tolerance approach to crime.The outcomes are visible and measurable. Organised crime networks that once operated with impunity have been systematically dismantled. Stringent instruments such as the Gangster Act and NSA, combined with aggressive asset seizure, have not only incapacitated criminal enterprises but altered the cost-benefit calculus of crime itself. Properties worth hundreds of crores linked to criminal syndicates have been attached or demolished.The signal has been unambiguous: illegality will not pay.Equally important has been the modernisation of policing. The Dial 112 emergency response system today handles millions of calls annually, with markedly improved response times. Police stations have moved towards greater accountability through technology integration, digital tracking, and supervisory oversight. This is not cosmetic reform — it is systemic strengthening.The true test of law and order, however, lies in how safe the most vulnerable feel. For that, women's safety is the most credible barometer. The shift here has been both strategic and philosophical.Mission Shakti — launched by the Chief Minister for women's safety, dignity, and self-reliance — is built on a long-term vision, not a short-term electoral impulse. It operates on a Whole of Government framework, with approximately 15 departments working in concert to deliver welfare and protection to women. This is not a policing programme with a welfare label. It is a genuine governance intervention.In September 2025, under Mission Shakti Phase V, dedicated Mission Shakti Kendras were established at every police station across the state. Each centre has specially trained staff whose sole responsibility is to hear women's concerns and resolve them. More significantly, these centres have moved beyond complaint registration to function as a Single Point of Support — providing mental, social, legal, and institutional assistance from the first interaction through to the conclusion of judicial proceedings.The data from this intervention is striking. Comparing crime figures in the three months before the Kendras became operational (June 16 to September 15, 2025) with the three months after (September 16 to December 15, 2025), the decline is substantial: rape cases fell by 33.92%, abduction of women and children by 17.03%, dowry deaths by 12.96%, and domestic violence by 9.54%.These are not marginal shifts. Achieved within three months of a structural intervention, they carry policy weight.The increased presence of women police personnel has reinforced this momentum.From 13,842 in 2017, the number of women in UP Police has grown to 44,426 in 2026 — an addition of over 30,500 personnel, representing roughly a 16 percentage point rise in women's share of the force. Combined with anti-Romeo squads and targeted patrolling in sensitive zones, this has expanded both the perception and reality of safety for women across the state.But to reduce this transformation to policing alone would be an analytical mistake. Security without self-respect is incomplete. Self-respect without self-reliance is unsustainable.This is where Uttar Pradesh's governance model shows a certain coherence. The Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana has begun altering family-level attitudes towards the girl child through structured financial support across stages of education. The expansion of self-help groups has brought millions of women into the economic mainstream — giving them income, identity, and a stake in their own decisions.When a woman steps out to work, to study, or to lead, she needs not just physical security but a sense of ownership over her choices. In districts that were once considered sensitive, one can now see young women commuting independently, running small enterprises, and participating in local governance. This is not anecdotal. It is a pattern.The idea of Naya Nirman ke Nau Varsh is therefore not only about infrastructure or investment. It is about reconstructing the social contract between the state and its citizens. For women in Uttar Pradesh, this contract now promises three things: safety in public spaces, support in private aspirations, and respect in societal roles.From a policing standpoint, one of the most consequential shifts has been from fear-based compliance to trust-based cooperation. Communities are more willing to report incidents, engage with law enforcement, and participate in prevention. Crime control ceases to be the exclusive responsibility of the police and becomes a shared civic endeavour — and that multiplies its effect.No system is beyond improvement. Sustaining these gains will demand continuous investment in training, forensic capability, judicial coordination, and gender-sensitive policing. Urbanisation and digitalisation are generating new crime forms — particularly cyber offences — that disproportionately target women. The next phase of reform must anticipate, not merely react to, these challenges.Yet, having spent decades in uniform, I can say this with conviction: Uttar Pradesh today is a case study in how political will, administrative clarity, and operational discipline can converge to produce real outcomes in law and order. More importantly, it establishes that women's safety is not a peripheral concern — it is central to governance.The woman emerging from this transformation is not a passive beneficiary. She is an active stakeholder in the state's growth. She is, in the truest sense, the axis around which this development now turns.And in the end, the success of any law and order framework comes down to a simple question: can a woman walk freely, work confidently, and live with dignity? Increasingly, in Uttar Pradesh, the answer is yes — and that is the most meaningful measure of the journey these nine years represent.(Writer is former DGP of Uttar Pradesh)