UP Government Backs Meerut SP, Union Minister Naqvi Differs

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that strict action should be taken against Meerut SP Akhilesh Singh if his reported "Go to Pakistan" remark to a group of residents is proved to be true. Naqvi was referring to a video, which has since gone viral, in which the senior police officer is seen shouting at a group of locals in Meerut.

The incident took place in the Lisari Gate area of Meerut during the course of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). In the video, the SP is seen talking to a group of local residents in a lane and is accompanied by a posse of security personnel.

However, the Meerut SP defended his reaction and said that some protesters were raising pro-Pakistan slogans to which he responded. Some protesters are also reported to have pelted stones at the security forces.

Meanwhile, deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, KP Maurya also defended the action of the police officer saying that the crowd raised slogans of "Pakistan Zindabad" ("Long live Pakistan").

Akhilesh Singh's boss, Prashant Kumar who is the additional director general, Meerut police also backed the officer saying that the situation had been extremely volatile at that time. The security forces, in fact, showed a lot of restraint, and controlled the situation without firing, he told the media. Media reports quote Kumar as saying that the choice of words used by the officer could have been better.

The UP government's stand was backed by senior BJP leader, Uma Bharati who echoed the thoughts of deputy chief minister, KP Maurya.