Crime against women is on the rise in Uttar Pradesh, with 15 rapes reported from the state capital itself in the last one month.
Four women have been raped, one killed and two have been subjected to acid attacks from spurned lovers in just 24 hours. Police are blaming declining social values for the crime graph.
A Dalit minor girl was gang-raped in Sonebhadra after which her head was smashed by a blunt object. Her body was dumped in a field.
The same day, two sisters in Bardad village in Basti faced an acid attack from a spurned lover.
While one escaped with minor injuries, the other girl is admitted to a medical facility with severe burn injuries on her face and body.
Also that say, a dumb girl was raped in Ballia. In Chandausi, a deaf and dumb 12-year-old was raped. After a traumatic battle with death, she passed away Friday evening.
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Police admit that such cases of rape attempts are on the rise but say there is nothing they can do.
"This is a serious social issue which needs to be addressed in the same fashion," says a police official who told IANS that rapes should not be seen as a law and order issue alone.
In at least four cases, the victims have levelled rape charges on police constables and other mid-rung police officials.
Lucknow Senior Superintendent of Police J. Ravindra Gour has undertaken an exercise in course correction and begun a training module under the CER (civil emergency reserve) at the city police lines.
Policemen are being told how to conduct themselves.
"There are aberrations everywhere but then we are trying to initiate a process of self-correction in the force and we hope to succeed," he said.
The tragedy is that vigilante groups are emerging to give out kangaroo justice.
Lucknow has a 'Red Brigade' with over 100 teenage girls coming together against sexual assaults and teasing.
The group trains young women in self defence besides espousing the cause of their security.
Inspector General of Police Raj Kumar Vishwakarma says: "While one may have a right of self defence, you cannot be allowed to retaliate later and make a mockery of legal systems."
Women activists counter this.
"If somebody harasses you day in and day out, and the police do not listen to your pleas, what are we expected to do? Get raped?" fumes Amita Sharma, an activist sensitising young women against sexual abuse.
(Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in)