Lawyers booked for burning effigy of Adityanath in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad police file FIR against lawyers for burning effigy of UP CM Yogi Adityanath during protest against clashes between police and lawyers in Hapur.

The Ghaziabad police took suo motu cognisance of a section of lawyers allegedly burning an effigy of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath during a protest at the district courts complex on Tuesday and an FIR was registered at the Kavi Nagar police station.

The lawyers have been protesting against the clashes between the police and lawyers in Hapur during the last week of the month of August. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The lawyers have been protesting against the clashes between the police and lawyers in Hapur during the last week of the month of August. Both sides allege assault against each other during the clash.

According to police, the FIR was filed under Indian Penal Code sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 153a (promoting enmity between different groups) and 500 (defamation) at Kavi Nagar police station.

According to officials, the FIR names four persons and five to six others as unidentified. The FIR states that during the protest, a section of lawyers with political intent allegedly burnt the UP chief minister in effigy.

“They are also making viral the video of the incident and this may lead to resentment among public,” the police said in the FIR.

HT accessed a letter, purportedly a show cause notice issued to one of the lawyers on Wednesday, which has asked him/her to furnish an explanation. The letter states that there was no call for burning the effigy/picture of the chief minister but the said lawyer along with several others allegedly went ahead and did so.

The Ghaziabad bar association also issued a letter on Wednesday purportedly mentioning the said incident and widely sharing the videos. The letter states that the bar association has nothing to do with the effigy burning and only the lawyers who indulged in such acts were responsible.

When contacted, Ghaziabad bar association present Rakesh Tyagi (Kaili) declined comment on the matter.