The Samajwadi Party on Sunday announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each for families of those who were killed during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens. In a tweet, the party said the protestors had lost their lives due to the government’s brutality during their effort to “save the Constitution”.
On Friday, the party had promised to provide pension to the kin of people jailed or killed during the protests if it comes to power in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier on Sunday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav visited the home of Mohammad Wakil, who was killed during a protest in Lucknow, PTI reported. Yadav alleged that all the deaths during the protests in Uttar Pradesh were caused by police bullets.
He claimed that Wakil was not involved in the protest. “The government should probe as to whose bullet hit him,” the former chief minister said. “They have the post-mortem [examination] report now.”
Yadav demanded compensation, a house and a job for Wakil’s family.
The Uttar Pradesh Police have been accused of using excessive force against people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act. At least 19 people were killed during last month’s demonstrations. The police have also been accused of detaining and torturing minors.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, approved by Parliament on December 11, provides citizenship to refugees from six minority religious communities in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, provided they have lived in India for six years and entered the country by December 31, 2014. The Act has been widely criticised for excluding Muslims.
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