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At Least 113 People Arrested in UP over Anti-CAA Protests, NSA to Be Invoked?

According to Inspector General (IG), Law and Order, Praveen Kumar, if needed, the National Security Act (NSA) would be invoked against those arrested in this connection.
At Least 113 People Arrested in UP

Image for representational use only.Image Courtesy : The Indian Express

Days after protests in several districts of Uttar Pradesh, at least 113 people were arrested across the state including at least 25 in the past 24 hours, in connection with alleged violence, “unlawful” assembly during protests and against persons allegedly attempting to spoil communal harmony and spreading rumours, objectionable posts on social media platform against the new Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

According to Inspector General (IG), Law and Order, Praveen Kumar, if needed, the National Security Act (NSA) would be invoked against those arrested in this connection. So far, three FIRs have been registered against around nearly 700 unidentified persons.

The highest number of arrests were reported from Eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district where 19 were arrested after a police station was vandalised on December 16, followed by five arrests in Lucknow. Kumar, however, has said that the situation in the state was peaceful.

“At least 113 people have been arrested so far from across the state and over 8-20 cases have been registered in the state since the Bill has been passed. We are identifying those who were involved in violence that took place mainly in Mau, Lucknow, Aligarh, Saharanpur, Meerut etc. Section 144 of CrPc is in place in most of the districts with a general order that permission from competent authority is mandatory before any protest is started,” Praveen Kumar said while interacting with local media.

In Eastern UP's Mau district, the situation turned violent when more than 500 people, which included students and members of some political parties, came out in large numbers to protest. But a section of them reportedly also indulged in violence and arson.

In Lucknow, five people were arrested in connection with two protests that were held in Lucknow on December 16 and on December 13. Meanwhile, four persons have been arrested in connection with the violence that reportedly took place near Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow under the Hasanganj police station.

In Pratapgarh, five people have been arrested after a protest was held at the District Collectorate on Tuesday.

20 People Detained in Meerut

Dalit activist Sushil Gautam, along with 20 others, were detained from Nauchandi police station in Meerut district for organising a protest against CAA and brutal assault of police on Jamia and AMU students.

Meerut-based Dalit activist Satish Prakash told NewsClick, “Sushil Gautam was arrested under IPC Section 151 for his Facebook post. He was planning to organise 'peaceful march' in Meerut under Blue Panther—an organisation that works for the welfare of the people from the Scheduled Castes. Before he could organise the demonstration, police landed up at his house and took him to the police station. Another Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, Babar Chauhan, was also arrested from Meerut. Apart from this, over 20 people were detained from the district for ‘objectionable’ posts on social media platforms against the new Citizenship (Amendment) Act.”

Uttar Pradesh saw widespread protests on December 16 across the state. From Aligarh to Lucknow to Varanasi and even in Mau, outraged students came out on the streets, expressing solidarity and protesting against brutal police action against fellow students in Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

Retired IPS officer Vibhuti Narain Rai, when asked about the current state of law and order in UP, said: “The government should avoid invoking NSA or any stringent punishment. Students who have been protesting against this are the future of our nation. They do not deserve such inhuman treatment by the police.”

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