Uttar Pradesh has shut down electricity in as many as 12 districts in anticipation of anti Citizenship Amendment Act protests after Friday prayers.
NDTV reported according to the latest reports internet connectivity was suspended in Ghaziabad, Bijnor, Bulandshahar, Muzaffarnagar, Agra, Meerut, Firozabad, Sambhal, Aligarh, Sitapur, Rampur and Kanpur.
Last week violent clashes had broken out in Uttar Pradesh after Friday prayers. The state has seen the most brutal crackdowns by the police leaving at least 21 people dead. Some of them are not even protesters.
Reports say internet will remain shut till 5 pm on Friday.
ANI reported on Thursday that the police had arrested 124 people for allegedly posting “inciting content” on social media.
Huffpost India had reported on Tuesday that the police had even picked up children in Bijnor and tortured them in custody. The report said the number of children detained by the police could be as high as 22.
Now a report in The Indian Express says that the police even shot at minors in Muzaffarnagar. The report said that they found at least three children who said cops shot at them.
The police in UP have claimed that they maintained “maximum restraint” and fired only in self defence.
PTI reported that police officials carried out flag marches across Uttar Pradesh and reached out to community leaders.
The police reportedly distributed pamphlets to “quell misconceptions” about the CAA and the NRC.
PTI also reported that security had been beefed up in several areas in UP, and the police are likely to use drones to keep an eye on protesters.
DM Vijyendra Pandiyan told PTI that paramilitary force personnel and state police force will be deployed and drone cameras will be used to ensure security on Friday.
Confiscating property
While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had claimed that the government will take “revenge” by taking away people’s property of they damaged public property, the process is indeed being carried out.
The report said that at least 372 persons had been served notice in different districts.
These notices are being served to people who mostly do not have the means to pursue a legal case or hire a lawyer or even pay the fine.
Munni Begum, the mother of an embroidery worker who is in police custody and has received such a notice told The Indian Express, “I have not received any recovery notice from the district administration so far. We don’t even have money to arrange a lawyer for Zameer. How can we pay any compensation?”
Meanwhile, a home department spokesperson on Thursday said 327 FIRs have been registered and 5,558 preventive arrests made.
Official sources said more district administrations issued notices to people to make them pay for the losses caused by them in arson and stone-pelting.