CAA issue: BSP team meets UP guv, seeks release of jailed protesters

A Bahujan Samaj Party delegation on Monday met Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and sought her intervention for the release of "innocent" people jailed in connection with protests against the amended citizenship law and immediate withdrawal of cases against them.

The delegation, led by party MP Satish Mishra, handed over a memorandum to the governor at Raj Bhawan a day after BSP chief Mayawati asked the Uttar Pradesh government to apologise to the people for putting anti-citizenship law protesters behind bars without thorough investigation.

"The BSP has opposed this law which grants citizenship on the basis of religion, making it divisive and unconstitutional... and had also voted against it in Parliament," the memorandum signed by Mayawati said.

"There was widespread opposition to this law all over the country and in UP there was violence. Earlier the police and state government held the protestors solely responsible for it and also acted in a vindictive manner, putting people in large numbers behind the bars," it said.

It claimed media reports had brought to fore the attitude of the state government, police and administration which had been most barbaric and biased.

The memorandum said that the BSP demanded judicial probe into the incidents of violence and police action, saying it would expose before the people the real attitude of the UP government and excesses of police and administration.

It said the state government should provide "justifiable" financial assistance to the kin of those who died during the protests and demanded that "innocent" people who were jailed be released immediately besides withdrawing the cases lodged against them.

The BSP's demand came against the backdrop of a local court, on Saturday, granting bail to social activist Sadaf Jafar and former IPS officer S R Darapuri, besides 13 others arrested in connection with anti-CAA protests in Lucknow.

In a tweet, Mayawati had said, "In Uttar Pradesh, especially in Bijnor, Sambhal, Meerut, Muzzafarnagar, Firozabad, innocent people have been sent to jail for protesting against the CAA/NRC without an investigation. This issue has also been raised by the media and is highly shameful and condemnable."