The Uttar Pradesh government has prohibited caste-based political rallies, public displays, and caste-related markings in police records, citing threats to public order and national unity. The directive, issued by officiating Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar to all district magistrates, secretaries, and police heads, follows a September 16 Allahabad High Court order. The Allahabad High Court had observed that police station notice boards often list the caste of the accused and noted that there are signboards glorifying caste and declaring specific geographical areas as caste territories or estates.
The court directed the government to remove such boards and strengthen regulations against caste-based content online. Key directives of the order include removing caste columns from police records, such as panchakarmas, arrest memos, and personal search memos; removing caste-glorifying signboards and announcements; and strictly monitoring social media for content that glorifies or denigrates any caste. The order says that the government aims to eliminate caste-based discrimination and mandates that vehicles bearing caste names, slogans, or stickers will be challenged under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
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