Protests in Firozabad, UP, after 2 cops were gunned down on duty
On a day two policemen were killed in Uttar Pradesh while chasing suspected robbers, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh expressed concern over the situation in the state.
"The Home Ministry is concerned over the prevailing law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh. We are keeping a continuous watch on the situation in UP," Mr Singh said today.
This morning, angry protesters blocked a major highway in the district of Firozabad, 285 km from the state capital of Lucknow, after two policemen were gunned down.
Dinesh Pratap Singh and Giriraj Kishore Gujjar, both in their early 30s, were chasing six suspected robbers when they were shot.
The suspects have not been tracked down yet.
Announcing 20 lakh rupees for the cops' families, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said, "They were brave soldiers. They died while maintaining law and order."
In recent weeks, a series of horrific crimes - many of them against women - have left Mr Yadav's government battling allegations of incompetence and a total breakdown of law and order.
More than two weeks ago, two teen girls were found hanging from a tree; medical reports showed they had been gang-raped and hanged while they were still alive. The girls were cousins; their families alleged that the police had refused at first to help them because they are from a lower caste.
Last week, a woman said she was gang-raped at a police station in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur district. Over the weekend, another woman said she had been gang-raped in Badaun; the suspects include a police officer's son who has still not been arrested.
The BJP's leaders in Uttar Pradesh have expressed their grave concern over a series of attacks on local leaders from their party. Three BJP representatives have been killed in the last few days.