The Uttar Pradesh Police under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has re-enforced a crackdown on rioters who indulged in rampant violence in the state under the garb of protests under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and have again put up posters with names and photographs and details of the rioters.
The recent posters have the pictures and addresses of eight rioters who were booked under the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986 and have been declared absconders. One of the ‘accused’ is Shia cleric Maulana Saif Abbas. The eight are Mohammad Alam, Mohammad Tahir, Rizwan, Rafat Ali, Ahsan, Irshad, Hasan and Irshad. All the accused are from the Thakurganj area of old Lucknow. Mobile numbers of senior police officials of the Thakurganj police station have also been provided in the posters so that information could be forwarded to them.
The other poster has pictures of those who are absconding, but action against them under the act has not been initiated. A police spokesperson said the posters with photographs had been put up at public places in the Uttar Pradesh capital.
Yogi Adityanath Govt announces cash reward for informant, put poster outside the houses of the absconders
The Uttar Pradesh government has also announced a cash reward of Rs 5000 for anyone who provides information about the absconding rioters. An announcement regarding them was also made on a loudspeaker in the old city areas. The posters have also been pasted on the walls outside the houses of the accused, said the police.
According to police, all these people had participated in a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Lucknow on 19 December and instigated violence. They had indulged in damage to public and private properties and are liable to compensate for the same.
Uttar Pradesh govt adopts tough measures against rioters
Earlier, in a similar move, the Yogi Aditynath government had put up hoardings of the anti-CAA rioters in prominent intersections in state capital Lucknow, including their names, addresses and photos. This move had irked the so-called ‘secular’ gang which has termed it as ‘unethical’ and ‘misuse of law’ saying it would encourage lynch mobs. However, the state government had persisted.
The Uttar Pradesh government has also promulgated the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Ordinance, 2020 to recover damages from rioters. The Ordinance states that the state will set up claims tribunals to investigate the damages caused during protests and to award compensation, and also to cover the cost of action taken by police and administration for prevention of damage to public properties.
Following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act, violent mobs had descended on to streets to protest against the law. The Islamist mobs had resorted to vandalism and had gone on a rampage on streets, vandalising properties and attacking police officials. However, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced tough measures to combat violent riots and arson. He had promised to seize the property of every rioter and use the funds to repair the damaged public property. The Uttar Pradesh government had also identified at least 498 properties to seize them, which belonged to rioters who vandalized public properties in the state during the anti-CAA protest.
