The Congress on Monday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh over the increasing atrocities against women and Dalits and said “law and order situation is ineffective” in the state, PTI reported.

There have been three incidents of rape of minors reported in Uttar Pradesh in the last three days and come days after the murder of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl in Aligarh. The Congress also alleged that the “anti-Dalit mentality” of the Bharatiya Janata Party was responsible for the failure of law and order in the state.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Twitter shared a report about the rape of 12-year-old Dalit girl in Kushinagar district. “During BJP’s rule in UP, hooliganism and crimes against women have been going on,” he tweeted. “Incidents in Aligarh, Barabanki, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Kushinagar and now Bareilly show a complete lapse in law and order.”

Surjewala referred to Chief Minister Adityanath by his birth name – Ajay Singh Bisht – and asked how and when would he deal with the “jungle-raj” in the state.

In another tweet, he said: “Day by day, atrocities are increasing on women and Dalits. Ajay Singh Bisht Sarkar is sitting with its eyes closed. BJP’s anti-Dalit mentality is responsible for this.”

Slogans ring hollow, says Shiv Sena

In a veiled attack on the BJP, the saffron party’s ally Shiv Sena claimed slogans such as “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” ring hollow at times when incidents such as the Aligarh murder occur. “It is a kind of disability in our society,” the party said in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana. “Atrocities against such innocents are still on...This incident is a blot on the humanity and lowers the dignity of the society. We are shaken by this.”

The editorial claimed that after the 2012 Delhi gangrape, the then government was forced to come up with stricter laws to protect women. “These people are now in power and therefore, their responsibilities have increased,” it said. “This [the Aligarh murder case] is heinous and has numbed the society. There is a widespread anger. The pain that the child suffered is extremely unfortunate.”

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati also attacked the state government over the incident. “Uttar Pradesh has become a crime state,” said Yadav. Mayawati said people are “unnerved, angry and agitated” over the alleged incidents. “To prevent such incidents, the society and the government need to be more strict,” she said.

On Friday evening, six men allegedly dragged a 12-year-old Dalit girl out of her house in Kushinagar district and raped her. The police said the suspects allegedly had a dispute with the girl’s family over the construction of a drain. Four suspects have been arrested while two are absconding.

In another case, a teacher allegedly raped a Class 9 student inside a seminary in Kanpur on Sunday. The accused was arrested after the girl’s parents lodged a first information report and was charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

In Jalaun district, the naked body of a seven-year-old girl was found in a field on Sunday. Superintendent of Police Swami Prasad said a case of murder has been registered and that they suspect rape. The body has been sent for a postmortem examination.