UP activists to move court against recovery notices

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, February 21

Activists — retired IPS SR Darapuri and Congress spokespersons Sadaf Jafar — would go to court against the Uttar Pradesh Government’s recovery notices to them for damage of public property during the anti-CAA protests in December last year.

Speaking to reporters, they said that they were awaiting an official communication on the recovery before taking legal recourse. “The state government is sending recovery notices unconstitutionally. There is no proof against me for inciting violence, but instead of the anti-social elements, they arrested and tortured me,” complained Sadaf.

Twenty-eight anti CAA protesters, including activists, are to cough up over Rs 63 lakh for damages during protests. Lucknow’s Additional District Magistrate (east) KP Singh has issued notices, stating that the protesters had to deposit the money by March 20 failing which action would be taken against them.

Other recipients of the notices include senior lawyer Mohammad Shoaib and activists Robin Verma, Deepak Kabir and Pawan Rao Ambedkar. All of them are out on bail.

The Yogi government claims protests at Parivartan crossing in the Hazratganj area of Lucknow on December 19, 2019 led to large-scale destruction of public property.

Interestingly, on December 19, Mohammad Shoaib and SR Darapuri had been put under house arrest even before the protest began.

Sadaf Jafar was streaming live on the social media while urging the police to take action against those damaging vehicles and setting ablaze a bus when the police first detained her and then tortured in police custody before sending her to jail.