Safety of women was one of the topmost priorities as Yogi Adityanath took the reins of Uttar Pradesh in March 2017. And, as soon as he was sworn-in as the chief minister, Adityanath had formed 'anti-Romeo' squads to check on eve-teasing and ensure safety of college-going girls. However, one and half years later, little has improved in Uttar Pradesh with even a Union minister becoming the a victim of eve-teasing.
Anupriya Patel, minister of state for health and family welfare and a member of the Apna Dal party, was in eastern Uttar Pradesh district of Mirzapur to participate in various public programmes. She was returning to Varanasi in the night when three youths in a car started hurling indecent comments at her and chased the minister’s vehicle.
Initially, the minister ignored them. But when the young men who were in a car without a number plate did not mend their ways, the minister's security personnel in the cavalcade began chasing them. They disappeared for sometime, only to reappear later and continue hurling “dirty comments”. The incident happened between Orai and Varanasi.
Realising that the situation was getting out of control, Anupriya Patel informed the Varanasi police and other senior officials. The three men were soon nabbed. Confirming the incident, Apna Dal (S) President Ashish Singh Patel said police have arrested the culprits.
A furious Anupriya Patel is now planning to lodge a complaint with Adityanath and the BJP national President Amit Shah about the incident.
According to Mirzapur SP Ashish Tiwari, women in the district have had to face such incidents earlier too. The incident, where a Union minister traveling with her convoy had to face eve-teasing, has raised several questions regarding women's safety in Uttar Pradesh.