UP Police send notice to a man who died 6 years ago, over anti-CAA protests

In an
embarrassment for the Yogi Adityanath government, which is taking strict action
against those who indulged in violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment
Act (CAA) protests, the police has served a notice to a man who died six years
ago.

The police
in Ferozabad district have sent out notices to about 200 people asking them to
explain why action should not be taken against them for the violence during the
anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests.

One such
notice has been served to Banne Khan, who died six years ago at the age of 94.

Khan’s son
Mohammad Sarfaraz confirmed the incident and said that the police should have
conducted a proper inquiry.

“I also
have my father’s death certificate. I am going to tell the police to go to my
father’s grave and ask him to apply for bail. What else do I do?” he
asked.

Two other
men in their nineties 93-year-old Fasahat Meer Khan, who has been bedridden for
months and 90-year-old Sufi Ansar Hussain, who is suffering from pneumonia and
has just returned from a Delhi hospital after his treatment, have also received
similar notices.

Both men are
members of their local peace committees that regularly coordinate with the
police for maintaining peace in any area.

In notices
issued to both men, they have been asked to appear before a government
magistrate and apply for bail after submitting a bond of Rs 10 lakh.

The protests
against the new citizenship law were held in several parts of Uttar Pradesh.

In
Ferozabad, where four people died in clashes on December 20, about 35 cases
were registered and 29 people named in them, out of which 14 people were
arrested and jailed by the local police.

Chief Minister
Adityanath had warned of a ‘crackdown’ on the protesters and the government
ordered that those found responsible for damaging public property during the
protests would have to pay for it.