Yogi Government Puts Up Hoardings Of CAA-Violence Accused In Lucknow

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has put up hoardings in important locations in Lucknow along with names, addresses and photos of some of those accused in acts of arson and violence during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Lucknow in December 2019, according to media reports. The UP government has asked 57 protesters whose names and photographs have been displayed in the posters, to pay compensation for damage caused to public property in Lucknow for their involvement in the violence in which one person lost his life.

The total amount sought as compensation is said to be Rs. 1 crore 50 lakhs as per media reports. The property of those who fail to pay up will be attached, the hoardings reportedly state.

Activist-politician Sadaf Jafar and and former IPS officer SR Darapuri are among those said to have been named in the hoardings. Incidentally, Congress leader and general secretary in charge of UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had visited both of them after their detention during the anti-CAA protests. Priyanka Vadra had expressed her solidarity with them and described their arrest as harassment by the Yogi government.

The Allahabad High Court had in February issued a stay order on a similar property attachment notice given by the UP government to a Kanpur resident, for his alleged role in damage caused to government property in violent incidents which marred the anti-CAA protests in December. Providing interim relief to the accused the high court pointed out that the Supreme Court was already hearing the matter in another case.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had observed after several incidents of violence marred anti-CAA protests in the state that the government would crack down on those involved in violence and seize their properties if they failed to pay for the damage caused to public property.