UPCOCA: Draconian bill of Yogi Adityanath’s Government

Lucknow: The UP State cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has approved the draft Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act (UPCOCA). It is expected that the bill will be introduced in the winter session of the state legislature.

The law has been designed on the lines of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to combat land mafia, mining mafia and organised crimes in the state.

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But the opposition parties have claimed that there are enough laws in the state to deal with organised crime. They argued that the bill has the potential to be misused against student leaders and politicians. The opposition has become one to oppose the bill if placed on the table of the house.

“This law is meant to target Muslims. The Samajwadi Party will not allow this,” said Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhray.

The Lucknow Release Forum Spokesperson Shahnawaz Alam asked that “the Yogi government claims that the law and order situation in the state is under control. Then what is the need to bring such a draconian law?”

He further asks that Prince Tiwari, the alleged killer of Ballia’s girl Ragini, claims himself as the servant of Yogi. Would he also come under the purview of such law?

For the past few months, UP police has been carrying out encounters in which most of them killed were Muslims, backward and dalit people. These encounters were carried out on the orders of Yogi Adityanath’s government.

Mr. Shahnawaz Alam also questioned that whether the UP government would bring those indulged in violence in the name of Cow protection and killed innocent Muslims, under the purview of the Act.

The Yogi government is defaming the Muslims on the basis of terrorism and other baseless allegations. Mr. Shahnawaz also said that dalits and other backward groups are being targeted in Yogi’s regime. Its effect will be the movements like Bhima Army. UPCOCA is intended to suppresses the voices of these groups struggling against the Yogi government.