News Analysis India

Tag: Uttar Pradesh

  • BSP president Mayawati hits out at Uttar Pradesh government over law and order

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: BSP president Mayawati lashed out at the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday for the spate of murders in the recent past, demanding that the ruling dispensation pay attention to law and order.

    Mayawati said the BSP legislators had been directed to try and make the government accountable to the public for the “gross negligence and malicious actions” on the issue of crime and law and order, along with important issues of farmers and public interest.

    “It’s alarming that a phase of murders of leaders, lawyers, and traders has started before the Assembly and panchayat elections,” Mayawati tweeted.

    “And, it is very unfortunate and condemnable that these incidents are not being taken seriously and being termed cases of old rivalry. The government should pay attention.”

  • BJP chalking out strategy to counter Priyanka’s farmer outreach in UP  

    By Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: Congress leader and party’s UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s frequent visits to the state with an intent to revive her party’s fortunes in 2022 has unnerved the ranks and files of the BJP. The saffron party is now busy drawing a strategy to counter the Priyanka factor.

    So far, in the month of February, the Congress leader has visited the state four times. She had come to Rampur on February 4 to meet the family of the farmer Navdeep Singh who had died during Delhi protests on Republic Day. Then Priyanka went to Saharanpur on February 10 to address a Kisan Mahapanchayat despite district administration’s refusal for such a gathering. On February 11, the Congress leader was in Prayagraj where her “soft Hindutva” approach came into play when she took a holy dip at Sangam.

    On Monday (February 15), the Congress general secretary was again in Bijnor, the western UP district, where she addressed another Kisan Panchayat repeating the same rhetoric by accusing the Centre and PM Modi of helping “his billionaires friends” at the cost of farmers.

    However, keeping a close watch on the activities of the Congress leader, the saffron brigade has gone back to the drawing board to chalk out a strategy to counter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s farmer outreach.

    If the party insiders are to be believed, the BJP has the plan to give a fresh push to its farmers’ outreach by holding series of pro-farmer meetings. However, this exercises have been continuing at the party front for quite some time. The action plan envisages small, rural gatherings and its leaders have started visiting villages.

    ALSO READ | Govt insulted farmers, ministers called them traitors: Priyanka Gandhi at kisan panchayat

    Besides, the leadership is also contemplating giving some positions of prominence in the party to some Jat leaders. Moreover, as the buzz has it, CM Yogi Adityanath is likely to affect a cabinet reshuffle in near future. Some new inductions may take place especially for the western UP which is playing anepicentre to UP farmers’ protests. Groups of farmers backing the new farm laws, too, are active and moves are afoot to rope them in the BJP outreach plan.

    As per the Congress sources, Priyanka Vadra is likely to increase the frequency of her UP visits. Meanwhile, she has also activated the senior leaders. In Farrukhabad, veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Salman Khurshid also attended a farmers’ panchayat.

    “She has the plan to visit each and every assembly constituency till 2022 assembly polls,” said a Congress leader, who felt that she was new emerging hope on the horizon of UP’s political landscape.

    BJP’s state leadership has activated its cadre and the leaders have already started attending farmers’ meets. The feedback from the meetings is being gathered through the grass root cadre. Special focus is being kept on those 84 assembly constituencies which the party had last in the last 2017 elections.

    Party’s rural connect exercise is being spearheaded by BJP state chief Swatantra Dev Singh. It will also help the party in upcoming Panchayat polls likely in April-May.

    The western UP leadership of the party seems to be cagey about the kisan mahapanchayats being organised by the Rashtriya Lok Dal, Congress, and other parties like Samajwadi Party taking part in them.

    “This farmers’ protest might have benefitted the RLD and SP to some extent, but 2022 election are around a year away. We are confident of regaining the lost ground if any,” said a senior BJP functionary on the condition of anonymity.

    However, the political experts feel that it would take much more for the Congress to revive itself from decimation. They feel that more than the BJP, parties like SP and BSP would be more cautious of the Congress presence as the party has a common vote bank and if Congress succeeds in gaining some ground, it would not be possible without denting the prospects of regional satraps.

  • Uttar Pradesh government withdraws 2.5 lakh lockdown violation case

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has announced the withdrawal of cases registered against the public pertaining to lockdown violation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move is likely to bring respite to around 2.5 lakh people.

    The government took the decision to withdraw cases lodged against people, including traders, on the demand of different sections of society. State Law Minister Brijesh Pathak said it was the demand of traders that was considered and the process to withdraw such cases was initiated. 

    Uttar Pradesh is the first state which has decided to withdraw such cases.

    The cases are related to violations of COIVD protocol such as not wearing masks, violation of physical distancing norms, etc. Initially, the decision was taken to withdraw the cases against the traders but was extended to the general public.

    After the directives issued by the Chief Minister’s office, the process to withdraw cases lodged under Section 188 of Epidemic Act has been initiated across the state.

    The authorities justified the decision to withdraw the case by saying that it would also reduce the added burden on the courts.

    However, with the withdrawal of cases, the state government has issued an advisory and appealed to the people to take all the precautions and not let such situation crop up again in future.

    Earlier, the state law ministry had decided to withdraw about 10,000 such cases lodged during the lockdown. An order was also issued to the principal secretary of the law department to collect details of all cases lodged across the state in January end. Interacting with media persons, state law ministerBrijesh Pathak said that the decision would give relief to lakhs of people against whom cases were lodged. 

    “Due to the FIRs, people might be harassed by the police also,” an official spokesperson said.

  • Samajwadi Party forms panel to probe ‘custodial’ death of youth in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party on Saturday constituted an 11-member panel to investigate into the alleged custodial death of a youth in the Jaunpur’s Buxa area.

    The team was constituted on the directions of Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.

    The team led by the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Ram Govind Chaudhary, will visit Jaunpur on Sunday to meet the family Kishan Yadav, alias Pujari, who died in police custody, Chaudhary said.

    Kishan Yadav was taken into custody on Thursday night for questioning in a loot case and had died under mysterious circumstances.

    The incident had triggered protests by locals who blocked a national highway and indulged in stone pelting, leading to injuries to several policemen.

    Superintendent of Police Raj Karan Nayyar had ordered the suspension of three policemen, including the in-charge of the Buxa police station, and announced a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

    Later, the Buxa SHO, SOG in-charge and other policemen were booked for murder.

  • Uttar Pradesh government withdraws 2.5 lakh lockdown violation case

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has announced the withdrawal of cases registered against the public pertaining to lockdown violation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move is likely to bring respite to around 2.5 lakh people.

    The government took the decision to withdraw cases lodged against people, including traders, on the demand of different sections of society. State Law Minister Brijesh Pathak said it was the demand of traders that was considered and the process to withdraw such cases was initiated. 

    Uttar Pradesh is the first state which has decided to withdraw such cases.

    The cases are related to violations of COIVD protocol such as not wearing masks, violation of physical distancing norms, etc. Initially, the decision was taken to withdraw the cases against the traders but was extended to the general public.

    After the directives issued by the Chief Minister’s office, the process to withdraw cases lodged under Section 188 of Epidemic Act has been initiated across the state.

    The authorities justified the decision to withdraw the case by saying that it would also reduce the added burden on the courts.

    However, with the withdrawal of cases, the state government has issued an advisory and appealed to the people to take all the precautions and not let such situation crop up again in future.

    Earlier, the state law ministry had decided to withdraw about 10,000 such cases lodged during the lockdown. An order was also issued to the principal secretary of the law department to collect details of all cases lodged across the state in January end. Interacting with media persons, state law ministerBrijesh Pathak said that the decision would give relief to lakhs of people against whom cases were lodged. 

    “Due to the FIRs, people might be harassed by the police also,” an official spokesperson said.

  • Death of youth in police custody triggers protest in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur

    By PTI
    JAUNPUR: The death of a man allegedly in police custody in the Buxa area here triggered protests by locals who blocked a national highway and indulged in stone pelting, leading to injuries to several policemen.

    Superintendent of Police Raj Karan Nayyar has ordered the suspension of three policemen, including the in-charge of the Buxa police station, and ordered a magisterial inquiry into the death of Kishan Yadav, alias Pujari, who was taken into custody for questioning in a loot case.

    Later, the Buxa SHO, SOG in-charge and other policemen were booked for murder, after which the body was sent for a post-mortem, SP (City) Sanjay Kumar said.

    A crime branch team had brought four to five youths for questioning in the loot case to the Buxa police station on Thursday.

    Yadav, 25, who was among them, was taken ill during the night and was rushed to the community health centre.

    From there he was referred to the district hospital but he died during treatment, Nayyar said.

    Evidence of loot had been found against Yadav and he was taken into custody for questioning, the SP said.

    As soon as the news of the death of Yadav spread, his family and locals gathered on the Lucknow-Varanasi national highway and staged a protest.

    They also indulged in brick batting, resulting in injuries to Circle Officer (City) Jitendra Dubey and other policemen, Nayyar said.

    Police and Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel have been deployed in large numbers in the area to maintain law and order, he said.

    The family alleged that the youth died after being severely beaten up in custody.

  • Akhilesh Yadav alleges ‘corruption’, ‘lack’ of development under BJP rule in Uttar Pradesh

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh on Friday over “corruption” and “lack of development”, citing a ruling party MLA’s statement and a news report.

    “On one hand, without electricity, metres were handed over (to people) and on the other, a BJP MLA is saying that policemen are running spurious liquor factories,” Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.

    Yadav also tagged a news report in which women were seen holding electricity meters without electricity.

    He alleged that there is corruption and lack of development in the state.

    The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister referred to the statement of BJP MLA Surendra Singh who on Thursday alleged that illicit liquor trade was going on in the Revati area of the Ballia district under the police patronage and he had complained about it to senior police officials but to no avail.

    Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada had said Bairia MLA’s allegations will be probed.

  • UP horror: Three-year-old girl raped by her uncle

    By PTI
    MAU: A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her uncle here, police said on Friday.

    The girl was raped on Thursday and a compliant in this regard was filed by her mother against her brother-in-law (girl’s uncle), Superintendent of Police (SP) Sushil G said.

    The accused is absconding and the police is trying to arrest him, the SP said, adding that the medical examination of the girl has been done.

    The matter will be taken to the fast track court to ensure justice to the girl.

  • CBI files chargesheet against UP junior engineer, wife in paedophilia case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The CBI on Friday filed a chargesheet against a junior engineer in the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department and his wife for allegedly sexually abusing children and circulating explicit videos on the dark web to mint money, officials said.

    The agency also arrested a man from Delhi in connection with the case but is keeping his identity under wraps, they said.

    The accused were produced before a court in Banda.

    In its charge sheet filed before the special court, the CBI presented statements from about 20 victims and reports of digital evidence collected during searches at the residence of Ram Bhuwan, who is currently in judicial custody, the officials said.

  • Why is police protection not being provided for Wave City project, Allahabad HC asks UP government

    By PTI
    ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court has sought a reply from the Uttar Pradesh government on why police protection is not being provided by the Ghaziabad administration to a builder who is facing harassment by land mafia and is unable to complete the remaining development work of the Wave city project in the district.

    A division bench comprising Justice NA Moonis and Justice Dinesh Pathak passed the order on Tuesday on a petition filed by Uppal-Chadha Hi-Tech Developer (P) Limited.

    Uppal-Chadha Hi-Tech Developer has to complete the remaining development work in Wave city project acquired under Hi-Tech City Township policy of the state government but has claimed that it is facing harassment by miscreants and land mafia.

    During the course of the hearing, the state government’s counsel placed before the court instructions received from the District Magistrate, Ghaziabad and Senior Superintendent of Police, Ghaziabad.

    After going through the instructions, the bench observed, “We are not satisfied with the explanations submitted by the authorities as no cogent and convincing reason has been given for redressal of the grievance of the petitioner for providing security to carry out the development work which is nearer to its completion.”

    The petitioner had moved court seeking directions to the concerned authorities to take action in accordance with the law against all miscreants and land mafias who are not allowing the petitioner company to carry out development work on the land acquired under the Hi-Tech Policy of the Uttar Pradesh government.

    According to the petitioner, the company on September 16, 2020 and November 24, 2020 had moved representations before the concerned authorities to take action and remove encroachment from the land but till date no action was taken on its representations.

    The petitioner had requested for directions to state authorities to ensure and provide necessary assistance to the petitioner as well as the Ghaziabad Development Authority to enable development on the land acquired for the Wave city project.

    Earlier on January 13, the High Court had asked the state government to appraise it of the action taken to remove encroachment from part of the land on which the Wave city project is being developed.

    The court fixed February 18 as the next date of hearing in the case.