Eyebrows Raised As UP Constitutes Special Police Force With Powers To Arrest, Search Without Warrant

LUCKNOW || With Uttar Pradesh implementing the "dream project" of chief minister Yogi Adityanath in setting up a special police force - UP Special Security Force (UPSSF) which will have powers to arrest people and search premises without any warrant, voices of dissent have started rising from the society.

The UPSSF will be deployed to protect administrative buildings, courts, airports, metros, banks, among other government offices. As soon as the information about this was shared by the satte government on social media platforms through its official handles, concerned people, in private, spoke on how this could be "a Frankenstein" that the government might not be able to control later.

The information shared by the state government says : Any member of the force can, without the prior permission of any magistrate and without any warrant, arrest any person.

"We all want proper law and order, security and safety but when you hear that the police force will have such brute, unbridled powers, that defy logic and law, it sends a chill down a common man's spine," said a veteran Lucknowite, who said in democracy checks and balances are required and this law now seems to be a complete contravention.

Vaibhav Maheshwari, chief spokesman of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Uttar Pradesh also slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for the laws which will govern the UPSSF. "These things are for places which are troubled, be it because of terrorism or naxalism....by bringing such a force with such endless powers, Yogi ji has proved that he considers UP a troubled state and its people akin to terrorists" the AAP leader told The News Agency.

He added that people will give a befitting reply to such measures in the 2022 state assembly polls.

Eight battalions of the UPSSF will be constituted initially at a cost of Rs 1,747.06 crore and the basic infrastructure for it will be drawn from the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC).