Surat Grapples with Rising Crime against women and girls, courtesy liquor

Surat : Surat, the economic hub of Gujarat and the fastest-growing city in the world, is struggling with an alarming increase in crime, especially violence against women and girls. Reason: Growing menace of IMFL and country liquor in Surat city and district and the police acting as the facilitators for the bootleggers to ensure the free flow of liquor.

Darshan Naik, a social activist used his RTI rights to get crime statistics from 36 police stations for the years 2015 through 2023. According to the results, the state of security in Surat is quite worrying.

Interestingly, Naik wanted information on crimes committed in all 36 of Surat’s police stations. While 13 stations replied to the RTI inquiry, the other 23 have not yet done so.

With 556 rape incidents and 293 eve-teasing complaints recorded, RTI data from 13 police station regions offers a bleak picture. There were also a shocking 3,845 thefts recorded during this time, in addition to the 404 homicides. Women and girls in particular are feeling frightened in their own town as a result of these statistics, which is generating widespread anguish among city inhabitants.

Several government buildings and the police commissioner’s office are located near the Athwalines police station, which has recorded 29 homicides, 41 rapes, 431 thefts, and 57 eve-teasing crimes. There have been 194 homicides, 100 eve-teasing incidents, 228 rapes, and 1,240 thefts reported in areas like Pandesara and Limbayat, which are heavily inhabited by migrants from other states.

Concerned social activist Darshan Naik has sent emails to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat Home Minister presenting his findings. Naik has sent letters pleading for the restoration of law and order in Surat, calling for the recruitment of unbiased and impartial police personnel, and a crackdown on the scourge of the illicit spirits trade.

According to “The Prohibition Act 1949” of Gujarat, which Naik mentions, it is against the law for any person to buy, possess, or drink alcohol. In 2017, the legislation was toughened even more, increasing the maximum sentence for offenders to 10 years. But Naik claims that the Surat police have done little to stop the flow of illegal alcohol and other goods, creating a fertile foundation for corruption among certain officials.

The city of Surat has been experiencing escalating crime rates, and the Director General of Police (DGP) has voiced his worry about the apparent lack of response from the city’s 36 police stations.

Naik said, “The information under RTI involves only 13 police stations out of the total 36 in Surat.” This is according to social activist Darshan Naik. There has been an increase in rape and eve-teasing, and the law and order situation in Surat has worsened, putting the lives of girls and women in danger.

He added, “The police have failed to adequately apply prohibition laws, hence crime rates remain high in Surat. Instead, law enforcement officials have been accused of facilitating and protecting bootleggers across the metropolitan area.