Mumbai: Comedian and actor Harsh Gujral once narrated an interesting incident about the diminishing rate of crime in Uttar Pradesh.
An old video of the comedian-actor from UP Creators Summit & Awards 2026 has resurfaced on the internet, and it shows him recollecting the funny incident as he stood next to the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
He said in his speech, “I’m telling you a real life example. I was in Lucknow for a show. I went out for a walk when I asked a shopkeeper selling bananas about the crime rate in UP. He said the crime rate has diminished a lot in UP. I asked him how he was so sure about that. He said, ‘I’m a criminal myself but I’m not selling bananas’. Thank you so much for this award, Uttar Pradesh Rocks”.
While the comedian-actor shared a personal anecdote, the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) data shows fluctuations in Uttar Pradesh’s registered crime rate over recent years. On a cursory glance, the rate stood at 225.3 cases per lakh population in 2016, climbed up to 278.2 in 2019 and reached 287.4 in 2020. It declined to 262.5 in 2021 and 171.6 in 2022, before it rose sharply to 335.3 in 2023.
In 2023, UP recorded approximately 7.93 lakh cases under the Indian Penal Code and Special and Local Laws, while its crime rate remained below the national average of 448.3.
Talking about Harsh Gujral, he made his Bollywood film debut with Mere Husband Ki Biwi, directed by Mudassar Aziz. The romantic comedy also starred Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Rakul Preet Singh in lead roles, with Gujral appearing in a supporting role.
The film was released February 21, 2025.
