The Uttar Pradesh government has completely banned holding caste based rallies in the state. Acting Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar, under the High Court’s order, has directed that caste references be removed from FIRs, arrest memos, and other forms.
Caste-related innuendo and slogans will be removed from police station notice boards, vehicles, and signboards. The order says that there will be a complete ban on caste-based rallies. Social media will also be strictly monitored.
However, exemptions will be granted for cases involving the SC/ST Act. Police regulations will be amended to comply with the order.
The UP government’s actions come in the wake of a recent directive by the Allahabad High Court over mentioning caste in the police records.
As per the order, a ban on caste based rallies was taken as they were a threat to “public order” and “national unity”.
Already, the Samajwadi Party has opposed the order, alleging that it was an effort to impact the opposition.
SP’s official tweet says, “When these BJP government and the people responsible for it were caught while indulging in casteism. When the casteism of these BJP members was exposed and when the PDA questioned these BJP casteists about their casteism prevalent in the appointments and the system, then out of fear of the PDA, they brought this rule”.
“The intention of these BJP members behind this rule is to play the game of casteism more openly. The PDA will not stop, rather, the PDA will keep asking questions to these BJP members and will keep attacking the casteism of these BJP members,” it said.
The order, issued late Sunday by officiating Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar to all the district magistrates, secretaries and heads of police across state and districts says that it was brought in the wake of the direction of the High Court made on September 16.
The 10-point directive also prohibits “caste-based markings in police records as well as public display of caste-based signs and aims to eliminate caste-based discrimination” in the society. It also includes orders to issue challans to vehicles bearing caste names, slogans and stickers under relevant sections of the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
The only exception is made for crimes under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.