Confirming the stern action of the UP government on the rioters who had damaged public property while protesting against the CAA, residents of violence-hit areas of Bulandshahr handed over a demand draft of Rs 6.27 Lakh to the district magistrate along with an assurance that such incident will not happen again in future. Senior officials called it a “voluntary act of repentance”.
District Magistrate and the SSP were present in the Upper Kot area of the district to ensure that Friday prayers were conducted peacefully. After the prayers, members of the community met District Magistrate Ravinder Kumar and Senior Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar and handed over the demand draft of Rs 6.27 Lakh. The locals also handed over roses to officers of the district administration.
Notably, protests against the amended citizenship law in Bulandshahr turned violent, leading to damage of public property. DM Ravinder Kumar told reporters that government vehicles and other property were damaged by the crowd last Friday. “With this, Bulandshahr has made a good start, they have realised that the government property has been bought from the tax-payers money. It is their own loss and damage,” he said. “The people in Bulandshahr have come with an ‘avedan’ (request) letter and a demand draft of Rs 6,27,507. People have felt this (violence) should not have happened.” He added. Kumar said the proposal for this move was made in a meeting with the commissioner and the inspector general. “In a meeting with senior officials, a proposal was put regarding the collection and offering to the administration,” he said.
A member of the delegation that handed over the amount, Haji Akram, said that the entire Muslim community in the district had come together to estimate the requisite amount of compensation pertaining to the damages and gather the funds. “We were saddened by the damage to public and government property and therefore we have come forward to hand over a cheque of Rs 6.27 lakh to pay for the damages. Members of the community themselves came forward with contributions,” he added.
The Uttar Pradesh government has taken swift and stern action on the rioters, CM Yogi Adityanath himself had warned the rioters that their property could even be forfeited. Administration in several places has started sending notices for the recovery of damaged property, it has sought an explanation from the people who were involved in the violence, on why recoveries should not be made for the damage of public property. The state government has also ceased shops of individuals who have caused damage to public property during the anti-CAA protests. The police are making full use of CCTV footages and other videography to identify and initiate action against the culprits. CM Yogi has set a strong example for other state governments to follow, which otherwise let go of rioters and hooligans who damage public property.