Even as political tensions are rising in Gujarat, data reveals a troubling trend. Gujarat police are now attracting more complaints than the state’s own criminal networks.
We may recall that Congress MLA from Vadgam, Jignesh Mevani, recently spared no digs at the ruling BJP government. He took potshots at Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who oversees the home portfolio, over alleged free flow of alcohol and drugs in Gujarat.
And now, complaints filed with the NHRC indicate that from 2017 to 2024, the police in Gujarat faced more grievances than organised criminal networks.
According to newspaper reports, 4,535 complaints were recorded against the police. As many as 1,024 complaints against crime syndicates were received during this period.
Data reveal that from 2017 to 2021, there were 912 complaints against law-breakers. In 2021–22, there were 86 complaints. In 2022–23, the number fell to 16, and in 2023–24, it dropped further to 10.
Complaints against the police show a similar year-wise pattern. From 2017 to 2021, there were 3,307 complaints. In 2021–22, there were 477 complaints. In 2022–23, the number was 363, and in 2023–24, it stood at 288.
The complaints against the police include allegations of custodial torture, wrongful detention, and fabrication of criminal cases.
Mevani told Vibes of India that the figures “speak volumes.” “It shows that there is no law and order in the state,” he said.
“Not all policemen are bad, but certain goons have been using the police to get their work done,” Isudan Gadhvi, president of the Gujarat unit of the Aam Aadmi Party, told Vibes of India.
“The police act on the instructions of leaders and local goons,” he further alleged.
For many in Gujarat, the real battle now is not against goons and mafias, but against a system that appears unwilling to police itself. It’s ironic that the real law-and-order challenge in Gujarat may lie within the forces meant to uphold it.
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi, Mevani Slam Gujarat Govt As Drug Menace Deepens Across ‘Dry’ State https://www.vibesofindia.com/rahul-gandhi-mevani-slam-gujarat-govt-as-drug-menace-deepens-across-dry-state/
