E-Paper
Child-lifting scare: Uttar Pradesh police for imposing National Security Act over rumour-mongering, lynching
The decision on the National Security Act has been taken after incidents of people being assaulted following child- lifting scare in different districts of Uttar Pradesh over the past 10 days.
The Uttar Pradesh police have decided to recommend imposing the National Security Act (NSA) on people involved in disturbing law and order by spreading rumours about child-lifting and attacking and lynching strangers on suspicion of their involvement in such crime.
The decision on the National Security Act has been taken after incidents of people being assaulted following child- lifting scare in different districts of Uttar Pradesh over the past 10 days.
The state police top brass on Friday issued a detailed circular and advisory to all district police chiefs to curb the child-lifting scare and handle child-lifting incidents in a very sensitive manner.
Additional director general (ADG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar said every police officer in the field from constable to additional SP rank should remain alert on duty and rush to the spot after getting information of child lifting or any incident of violence on suspicion of child lifting. He said sometimes police personnel tried to handle it telephonically, but they should ensure that they visit the spot and assess the genuineness and seriousness of the information and take appropriate action.
“The police officers have been asked to register cases under appropriate IPC (Indian Penal Code) sections and Section 7 of Criminal Law Amendment Act for creating panic and disturbing law and order against people involved (in) spreading rumours and violent activity in the garb of child lifting and its scare. They have been asked further to recommend imposing National Security Act (NSA) to the district magistrate and send a special request to consider imposing it on merit,” the ADG said.
He said the police officers have been asked to rope in peace committee members, digital volunteers, village security committee members, civil defence personnel, police pensioners and defence pensioners to handle the situation and analyse the seriousness of the child-lifting information coming from very remote areas where police will take time to reach.
The ADG said the district police have been asked to spread awareness among the public by using public address system on U.P.112 police response vehicles (PRV) in rural and remote areas. He said people should be told that they should inform the police immediately rather than themselves getting involved in lynching or assaulting anybody on suspicion of they being child lifters.
He said the district police chiefs have been asked to identify vulnerable spots where similar incidents of mob lynching and child-lifting rumours have been reported and deploy picket duty to avert any such situation in future. The PRVs should rush injured people to a hospital nearby in case of any mob violence or lynching, the official said.
