The Jharkhand government on Wednesday asked the police to explain its “unlawful” act of releasing posters of those allegedly involved in the violent protests in Ranchi, PTI reported.
Two demonstrators died and over 13 were injured after protests against the BJP spokespersons’ remarks about Prophet Muhammad turned violent in Ranchi on June 10.
The police had put up posters of 33 accused persons near Raj Bhavan on Tuesday and sought information about them from the residents of the city.
However, the posters were soon removed due to “technical flaws”. The police had said the errors would be rectified and the posters would be released again, according to PTI.
The move by the police came after Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais had summoned Director General of Police Neeraj Sinha and other senior officials to the Raj Bhawan regarding the violence on June 10, The Indian Express reported.
The governor had asked them to make public the names and addresses of all protestors and display their photographs on hoardings at prominent places, according to the newspaper.
The police action was against the March 2020 order of the Allahabad High Court, said Jharkhand Home Secretary Rajiv Arun Ekka on Wednesday.
The court had asked the Uttar Pradesh government to remove posters in Lucknow with names, photographs and addresses of those accused of indulging in violence during the Citizenship Act protests.
“...the honourable Court had directed the State of Uttar Pradesh not to put up posters containing personal information of persons without legal authority on the roadside,” Ekka said in a letter to Ranchi’s Senior Superintendent of Police Surendra Jha. “This matter is nothing but an undue interference in the privacy of the people.”
He directed Jha to respond within two days.
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