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POLITICS

UP govt takes dia posts, including 10,380 Twitter, 10,389 Facebook and 181

YouTube and as preventive measures 5,558 persons had to fur-
nish an undertaking to maintain peace and order.
tough posture Maurya said the PFI had fanned protests against the Citizen-
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad
ship Amendment Act in the state. He said the members of PFI
were disguised as SIMI members. “Any anti-national in the
against those state and country would not be tolerated,” the deputy chief
minister said, adding that if SIMI comes out in a different form,
it will be crushed.
Confirming the development, Union Minister Ravi Shankar
opposing CAA Prasad on his Twitter handle posted that the role of PFI in
violence is coming forward and Home Ministry will decide on
further action based on evidence. There are many allegations
against them including its connection with Students Islamic
Movement of India (SIMI).
The state faces strong allegations of partiality and The PFI on January 1 rubbished the allegations by the Uttar
excessiveness as at least 20 people reportedly die Pradesh Police that the organisation had played a key role in
and scores get seriously injured in clashes with triggering violence during the anti-CAA protests in the state.
Its General Secretary M Muhammed Ali Jinnah said in a state-
police, reports mudit mathur ment, “The allegations were ‘absurd and a face-saving act’ by
the Uttar Pradesh Police.”
he Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, “In most of the states, the police were respectful of people’s
has taken a tough posture against the arrested pro- democratic rights to dissent. Only in Yogi Adityanath-ruled
testers who came forward to demonstrate against Uttar Pradesh, police brazenly turned protests into bloodbath
passage of Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA) and destruction,” the statement added.
T and proposed legislation for National Register of “We condemn this move, which is nothing but a ‘face-
Citizens. At least 20 people have died so far and scores serious- saving act.’ We would like to tell them that their cold-blooded
ly injured in clashes with police. UP Police has acted harshly killings and maiming of innocents and the destruction of
on them across the state invoking strong allegations of partial- properties lay bare to the entire world,” he remarked. The
ity and excessiveness from civil society and opposition parties statement rubbishing the UP Police theory have come a day
condemned it for trampling their lawful democratic right to after the state home department wrote a letter to central
free speech and peaceful demonstrations. government seeking a ban on the PFI.
The Police claimed that, role of a new outfit Popular Front of Earlier, the Raghubar Das-led BJP government in Jharkhand
India (PFI), has emerged in engineering violence during anti- had banned the PFI under Section 16 of The Criminal Law
CAA protests and state govern- Amendment Act, 1908 on Feb-
ment has recommended the cen- ruary 21, 2018, on the basis of al-
tral government for banning PFI UP Police seeks a legation that its members being
because of its alleged ‘disruptive ‘internally influenced’ by terror
activities.’ “Uttar Pradesh head of outfit ISIS.However, in August
PFI, Wasim, and 25 other activists ban on PFI, days after 2018, the Jharkhand high court
were arrested for masterminding had set aside government’s deci-
the violence in the state during its complicity was sion. The court also quashed FIRs
anti-CAA protests,” said DGP OP registered by police against the
Singh supporting the demand to suspected in the recent PFI, an Islamic organisation.
ban the organisation. Meanwhile, Yogi had an-
UP Police has detained more violent protests nounced recovery of cost of loss
than 1,200 activists in jails ever to the public property damaged
since anti-CAA protests spon- during anti CAA and NRC pro-
taneously broke out in the state. against the amended tests from the troublemakers.
Police has registered 95 criminal Soon after this, the state machin-
cases and arrested 125 persons in citizenship law. PFI ery has started arbitrarily slap-
connection with violence and ri- ping attachment notices to such
ots. Cyber cell of police has taken denies the charges protesters.
action against 20,950 social me- Lucknow administration had
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