CM Saini asserts "zero tolerance" policy, defends Haryana govt's law and order record in Assembly

Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], August 26 (ANI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday strongly defended his government's record on law and order, asserting that the state is firmly governed by the rule of law and that no criminal, however influential, would be spared.
Speaking during the ongoing Assembly session, Saini accused the Opposition of deliberately testing the patience of the Speaker and misleading people with selective allegations, while maintaining that crime in Haryana has consistently shown a downward trend under his government's tenure.
Saini said his government had declared a policy of "zero tolerance" against crime in its very first cabinet meeting on October 18, 2024, and warned criminals then that they must either reform or be reformed by the state.
"The law reigns supreme in Haryana, not the prisoners," the Chief Minister declared, adding that FIR registration, once obstructed during the Congress regime, has today become a transparent process that has strengthened public faith in the police.
Citing statistics, Saini claimed that the state has witnessed a steady decline in major crimes over the last ten years of the BJP's rule, compared to the decade under the Congress. He pointed out that under Congress's rule between 2004 and 2014, rape cases tripled -- from 386 in 2004 to 1,174 by 2014.
He also recalled the shameful tag of female foeticide that Haryana carried before 2014, saying that the launch of the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Panipat on January 22, 2015, had helped improve the sex ratio from 871 to 910 girls per 1,000 boys. "This stigma of female foeticide has been wiped out under our government," Saini said.
The Chief Minister launched a sharp attack on the Congress, citing several examples of crimes during its rule, which he alleged were either ignored or mishandled. He referred to a 2008 case in Rohtak where five policemen raped a woman inside a police station, and the FIR was only registered after newspapers highlighted her plight.
The victim ultimately consumed poison outside the DGP's office in 2009 due to a lack of justice. "Such was the state of law and order under Congress," Saini said, adding that two policemen were convicted only years later. He also recalled the 2012 "Apna Ghar" case in Rohtak, where an NGO manager was accused of atrocities against minor girls.
Following complaints to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, 120 girls were rescued, and the case was handed over to the CBI.
Contrasting this with his government's approach, Saini cited a recent case from Yamunanagar, where a minor girl was raped and murdered on September 20, 2024. He said the police arrested the accused within 24 hours and ensured he was awarded the death penalty within eight months, in May 2025. "This is the difference--our government delivers justice swiftly and decisively," he remarked.
Saini highlighted that under Prime Minister Modi's new criminal laws, rapists can now be sentenced to death, and his government has ensured life terms of 20 years and above in several heinous cases within just months of trial. He further said that during the BJP's ten years in power, murders fell from 1,106 cases under the previous Congress government to 965 cases.
Haryana Police has conducted 110 encounters during his tenure, neutralising 13 hardened criminals, while five notorious gangsters were brought back from abroad between July 2024 and August 2025, he said.
The Chief Minister appealed to media representatives not to glorify criminals through songs or social media, warning that such portrayals encouraged youth to idolise gangsters. He suggested that even the Opposition could join the government in bringing a resolution to the Assembly, urging media platforms to refrain from glorifying crime.
Reiterating his commitment, Saini said the BJP government will never compromise on the safety of Haryana's citizens and their property. "Our government has shown seriousness in dealing with crime, and we will continue to ensure that every criminal faces the consequences of his actions. No one, however powerful, will be spared if they break the law," he concluded amid the thumping of desks from the treasury benches. (ANI)