UP: Posters Of Anti-CAA Protesters Again Appear In Lucknow, Rs 5,000 Reward Announced

The Lucknow administration has, once again, put up posters with photographs of activists who had campaigned against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) earlier this year.

The posters that came up late Thursday (5 November), announce a reward of Rs 5,000 for anyone who provides information about the accused persons.

The posters -- labelled 'wanted' with the photographs of eight anti-CAA activists -- declares them 'absconders' and put out their names and addresses.

An announcement regarding them was also made on a loudspeaker in the old city areas.

One of the 'accused' is Shia cleric Maulana Saif Abbas. The eight are Mohammad Alam, Mohammad Tahir, Rizwan, Rafat Ali, Ahsan, Irshad, Hasan and Irshad. They have been accused of vandalism during protests in December 2019 against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

All the accused are from the Thakurganj area of old Lucknow. Mobile numbers of senior police officials of the Thakurganj police station have also been provided in the posters so that information could be forwarded to them.

The accused have been booked under The UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986.

A police official said that the activists were involved in the 'violence' during the anti-CAA protests in 2019 and had been 'missing' since. He added that pictures of the accused have been put up everywhere they were likely to meet. Posters and notices have also been put up near the houses of the accused.

According to police, all these people had participated in a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Lucknow on 19 December and instigated violence, in which a person was killed and public property was damaged, reports News18.

Earlier this year, the Allahabad High Court had directed the Lucknow administration to remove the "name-and-shame" hoardings and the government had approached the Supreme Court, where the matter is pending.

Meanwhile, some activists have termed the putting up of posters as 'unethical' and 'misuse of law' saying it would encourage lynch mobs.

(With inputs from IANS)