CAA-NRC Protests: 3 Cops Suspended for Serving Notice on Dead Man in Firozabad

New Delhi: In a first such action, three Uttar Pradesh police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were suspended, after they were found guilty for sending a notice to a dead person and two 90-year-olds, one of whom is bedridden while the other is a pneumonia patient, in the wake of December 20, anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests that turned violent in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad, an official said on Monday.  

The action was taken on the basis of an inquiry report submitted by the city circle (CO) officer which found the three policemen guilty of negligence and laxity. "Taking the matter seriously, Naalband Chowki in-charge Rajiv Chitransh and two constables have been attached to the police lines with immediate effect," Senior Superintendent of Police, Sachindra Patel, was quoted as saying by PTI.  

After the December 20 protests, Firozabad police had served notices to at least 200 people, asking them to prove why they would not be a threat to peace in the area and furnish a surety of Rs 10 lakh each.

Among those who were served notices was Banne Khan (87), a resident of Kotla area, who had died six years ago. Fasahat Meer Khan (94) of Kotla Mohalla, who is bedridden for months and Sufi Ansar Hussain (90) of Kotla Pathanan, who is suffering from pneumonia and has just returned after treatment from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. 

Six persons died in in the violence that ensued after anti-CAA protests in Firozabad. As many as 29 persons were booked and 14 arrested in about 35 cases that were registered in connection with the violence.

This is not the first case where notices have been served to a dead person or someone who was not in the city that day. In a similar incident in Bahraich, two people named in a first information reports (FIR) were not even in the country. 

In Bahraich district, two men -- Mohammad Suleman Khan and Baba Hauzri's -- name appeared in a list of those who had been sent notices, despite the fact that they have documents to prove that they were not in the country on December 20.

In another case, Samad Anwar, a native of Lucknow was picked up by the police when he was on his way to bury his grandfather. Later, the Lucknow administration served him a notice for allegedly damaging public property during the anti-CAA protests.

Soon after he was picked up, Samad’s, who is an asthma patient, health deteriorated and he was taken to a nearby hospital. He was released later, but the police has served him a notice.

Speaking to NewsClick, Amir Naqvi, advocate for the arrested people in Lucknow, said: "There are several people who went to buy medicine or to drop someone and were picked up by police and served notices in jail for damaging property. Our team is working and will soon fight the issue."

The Gorakhpur police, too, has sent a notice to 33 people allegedly involved in violence during CAA protest on Friday. 

One of them, on condition of anonymity, told NewsClick, "A notice of our property confiscation was served by Gorakhpur police despite my brother being out of the city. There are a few more who, I know personally, were not part of protest yet were served notices of property attachment."

He said most of the people who had been served notices are poor and cannot afford legal assistance.

Meanwhile, the Lucknow district authorities have issued notices to confiscate the property of 498 people for their alleged involvement in violence during the protests.

On December 19, at least 19 people, including an eight-year-old boy, lost their lives during clashes across the state. The Adityanath government launched a crackdown on protesters, and sent property confiscation notices to people if they fail pay fines for the damage during the protests.