Dehradun/Haldwani, May 6 -- The Uttarakhand Mahila Congress, led by its president Jyoti Rautela, staged a protest on Monday against the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the "rising crimes against women in the state" after the Nainital rape case that triggered communal tension in the hill town. The workers of the Mahila Congress first gathered outside the Centrio Mall in Dehradun from where they started marching bare feet towards the chief minister's residence in Cantt but were stopped by the police by putting up barricades. The protestors there burnt an effigy of the state government. Uttarakhand Mahila Congress president Jyoti Rautela said, "There has been a significant spike in criminal cases against women under the BJP rule. Incidents of rapes are being reported from all parts of the state almost every day. Among the nine Himalayan states, Uttarakhand ranks the top in terms of crimes against women. The state government has failed to curb the increasing crime against women. Rather than acting against criminals, the government is trying to communalise such cases." "A criminal is a criminal and has no religion, the rape incident in Nainital is being linked to a particular religion," she said. On Wednesday evening, the communal tension gripped Nainital after the arrest of a 65-year-old man for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl in his car on April 12. In the complaint filed by the girl's family, the accused, who lives in their neighbourhood, lured her with some money. On April 30, the first information report (FIR) was registered against building contractor Mohammad Usman. The FIR was registered under section 65 (1) (Punishment for rape in certain cases of rape on a woman under sixteen years) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act at Mallital police station. Following the incident, the locals and members of right wing Hindu organisations who first gathered at the Mallital police station seeking the custody of the accused went on a rampage to assault Muslim shopkeepers and vandalise their establishments. They also threw stones at the Jama Masjid mosque. On May 1, the Nainital police booked 30 unidentified people for vandalism in Gaadi Padaw area. The FIR was registered against the accused under sections 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (2) (mischief), 191 (2) (rioting), and 126 (2) (wrongful restraint) of the BNS based on the complaint of police station in-charge Hem Chandra Pant. On May 2, the Uttarakhand high court criticised the Nainital administration for failing to comply with the Supreme Court's guidelines regarding demolitions and the removal of encroachments, after it issued a demolition notice against the house of rape accused Usman. The court also reprimanded the police for their inability to maintain law and order during the incident. Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Yashpal Arya on Saturday said, "Law and order in Uttarakhand has completely collapsed. Criminals are acting with total impunity. It appears that the rule of law has been replaced by the rule of criminals in the state. The fear of legal consequences no longer exists among offenders. A strong and exemplary action could have been taken in the Pauri Garhwal receptionist murder case to restore public confidence." On Friday, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami presided over a high-level meeting on law and order and directed officials to take action against those who violate law and order in the state. He said that strict action should be taken against the culprit in the incident of rape with the minor girl. Condemning the protests, state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt on Monday said: "The incident of rape of a minor in Nainital is condemnable. Our government has taken swift action in the matter under its policy of zero tolerance for crimes against women. The accused is behind bars. Such matters shouldn't be politicised." "The law-and-order situation is intact in the state....in all the cases that have come to light so far, the accused are behind bars. The Congress objects to all positive decisions taken by the government. It is ready to do anything for appeasement politics. The Dhami government is committed to the safety of women and daughters in the state," he said. A forensic team collected evidence from the residence of the man who has been accused of raping a 12-year-old in Nainital, an official said on Sunday, adding that the evidence would be sent to the regional forensic science laboratory (RFSL) in Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar for analysis. "The forensic team on Sunday collected the suspicious items from the accused's car, garage, and residence in Rukkut Compound in Nainital. These items may contain biological evidence related to the case. All collected materials are being sent to the laboratory in Rudrapur for scientific analysis. The medical examination of the victim has already been conducted, and the report is expected soon. The scientific evidence obtained by the forensic team will significantly strengthen our investigation," Hemant Kumar, an official of the forensic team, said....