Priyanka Gandhi questions recruitment of ‘Police Mitras’ in Uttar Pradesh to help police

Is the role of ‘Police Mitras’ (friends of Police) or untrained civilians having undergone a short, three-day training session, and used extensively in Uttar Pradesh during the protests against CAA, Constitutional?

The Congress on Monday questioned how these para-policemen are allowed to retain their civilian attire and are provided with batons/lathis, shields and helmets.

Describing the deployment of these ‘Police Mitras’ as disquieting, the Congress said that they seem to be ‘Special Police Officers’ on the lines of similar initiatives by other states that are now banned across the country.

Demanding that the legality of the recruitment of a large number of ‘ Police Mitras’ from the ranks of BJP supporters and RSS workers be examined, the party declared that the Police Mitras have undermined the professionalism, independence and impartiality of the state police.

In a memorandum submitted to Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, and signed by the Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the state Congress President Ajay Kumar Lallu, the Congress urged her to ensure

• Cessation of unlawful and criminal acts by the state government;
• A judicial inquiry by a sitting or retired High Court judge into all cases filed against peaceful protestors;
• That the state does not oppose bail applications
• That process of confiscation of the property be suspended till the due process is established and endorsed by competent judicial authority;
• Students participating in peaceful protests be assured that exercise of their fundamental right to freedom of expression will not bring academic or legal repercussions; and
• Uttar Pradesh Police be asked to exercise restraint.

The memorandum notes that

• 5,500 people have been detained and over 1,100 have been arrested according to official figures. Many more people, however, are being subjected to coercion and harassment;
• The chief minister Ajay Singh Bisht alias Yogi Adityanath has openly called for revenge;
• Families across the state are still ignorant about the whereabouts of their near and dear ones detained by the police;
• Police have been shown pelting stones, beating minors, vandalising vehicles and private property
• 12 BHU students (Anant Shukla, Raj Abhishek, Neeraj Rai, Divakar Singh, Vivek Mishra, Rohan Kumar, Chandan Sagar, Deepak Singh, Dhananjay Tripathi and Ravindra Bharti were arrested on December 19 along with social activist couple Ekta and Ravi Shekhar.
• Notices for recovery of fines and seizure of property have been issued to 498 persons without following any due process.

The memorandum also notes that 23 deaths have taken place in the state due to police excesses; unlawful conduct of policemen have been recorded on video clips.

UP policemen had run amok and created an atmosphere of terror, the Congress leaders alleged. The police version that protestors died due to firing by protestors themselves cannot be believed and accepted without an independent judicial inquiry, they said.