India’s most populous state yesterday defied a request from its top court to remove large displays of the names, pictures and addresses of dozens of anti-government protesters that have sparked fears for their safety from vigilante mob attacks.
The Uttar Pradesh government put up six billboards last week in prominent places in its capital, Lucknow, identifying people it says joined in violent protests against a new citizenship law based on religion.
The state government, run by an ally of Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accuses the 57 people depicted in the posters of rioting in December last year.
However, none has been convicted of a crime and they accuse the government of trying to “name and shame” protesters.
“Is this an invitation for the mob?” Sadaf Jafar, the only woman to appear on the signs, said to reporters. “The action by the police and administration has made our lives more vulnerable. How will we feel secure in our city?”
While it was not possible to verify the religion of those featured, the majority had names commonly borne by Indian Muslims.
Jafar is considering taking legal action against the government, she said.
The actions of the government were “totally illegal,” said S.R. Darapuri, a former police officer who also appeared on the billboards for supporting the state’s protests.
“We are not absconders or hardcore criminals,” he said. “The government by this act has put our lives in danger.”
On Sunday, Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Ramesh Sinha of the Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh verbally urged the government to remove the posters.
However, Mrityunjay Kumar, the top adviser to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, said the posters would remain until the court issued a written order, adding that they were a bid to recover damages from those accused.
“This has been done after following every legal procedure,” he said. “This procedure is very similar to the auctioning done by banks when one fails to repay the loan.”
Demonstrations against the law have spurred often-violent clashes between protesters and police, some along sectarian lines, in which more than 70 people have died, a majority in Delhi.
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