The Uttar Pradesh police has directed its personnel to invoke the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against suspects who spread rumours about child abduction gangs being on the prowl and those who assault people over such suspicion, officials said on Friday.
The move came on a day when mobs in Pratapgarh district assaulted nine people in separate incidents. In the first, six women in an autorickshaw were dragged out and assaulted before being rescued by police who took them to a station. In the second, a car driver was held hostage and assaulted – two policemen who attempted to rescue the victim too were beaten up. An official said at least 35 people were booked over the incidents.
On Friday, the police leadership issued a detailed circular and advisory to all district police chiefs to curb the kidnapping scare and handle incidents in a sensitive manner.
Additional director general (ADG), law and order, Prashant Kumar, said every police officer in the field should remain alert and rush to the spot upon getting any information of child kidnapping or related violence.
“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 to the district magistrate and send a special request to consider imposing it on merit,” the ADG said.
{{/usCountry}}“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 to the district magistrate and send a special request to consider imposing it on merit,” the ADG said.
{{/usCountry}}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 in remote areas where police personnel may take time to reach.
A spate of such attacks have taken place in the state recently, raising fears of the situation worsening to the levels it did in 2017 and 2018, when dozens of people were lynched across the country, especially in rural parts, after rumours spread on mobile messaging applications that there were gangs out to abduct children.
According to an analysis till the end of July, 2018, at least 61 mob attacks had been recorded since January 1, 2017. In these, at least 35 people were killed. The situation was particularly bad in 2018, which recorded a far higher number of such fatal attacks.