TOI Dialogues: How Yogi government ended mafiaraj in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur

New Delhi: Talking about the end of mafiaraj and the decline in crime rate in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, the panel on the inaugural edition of TOI Dialogues expressed how the present government and its support to the police have helped in making Gorakhpur a safe space.
When asked how the police system has recently changed in Gorakhpur, Vikram Singh, former DGP, said, "Comparisons should be between comparables." Quoting Yogi Adityanath's famous remark "mitti mein mila dunga" with which he promised to completely eliminate the mafia from Uttar Pradesh, Singh said the chief minister was able to say this with so much determination because he has not taken any favours from the gangsters.

Arvind K Jain, former DGP recalled how the situation would be tense before festivals like Eid or Holi in anticipation of riots in the state. "It's not like that anymore. Even in one of the incidents, action is taken immediately," he said.
Jain also mentioned that the decline in crime rate is unbelievable. "There has been a decline in rape cases against women. The number used to be 117 in 2020... It is 5 in 2024 ... " Jain said. He also credited this to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. "There's so much terror among criminals and he speaks freely, he doesn't mince his words," he said.

Echoing the same sentiment, Yash Pal Singh, Advocate (Criminal) said the chief minister's zero-tolerance policy against crime has helped Gorakhpur reach this position. "Any person's priority is that he, his family, and his property are safe. And chief minister Yogi Adityanath made this his priority," he said.
"In November 2023, Gorakhpur was at the top in Uttar Pradesh in terms of punishment for serious crimes...." Singh said.

Atul Saraf, chairman of Aisshpra Group, highlighted how security and safety are the most important elements for any businessman to set up the work. "Earlier, there was an environment of fear ... people, despite having money, would not spend it out of fear ... so that no one gets to know [their purchasing power]," he said.
Recalling how he managed to open his second store only to keep it hidden from the outside, he said, "Now we are planning 40-50 stores across Uttar Pradesh because we are safe."