Varanasi: The Varanasi District Administration has confirmed that Section 144 of CrPC remained imposed for 350 days in 2019, hours after Congress General Secretary Priyanka tweeted.
“Yes, the city remained under Section 144 CrPC for about 350 days in 2019 for various events and incidents,” in PM’s constituency confirmed senior administrative official, HT reports.
This CrPC Section 144 authorizes executive magistrate of any state or territory to issue an order prohibiting public gathering or the assembly of four or more people in an area.
Every member under section can be booked for engaging in rioting according to the law. It is generally imposed in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger from an event that can cause trouble or damage to human life or property.
On Thursday, taking note of this, Priyanka tweeted, “On 359 out of 365 days in the year 2019, Section 144 was imposed in Varanasi town of the PM’s own constituency and he has the gall to say that people have nothing to fear?”
“Election schedule was announced last year in March. Soon after that model code of conduct became effective and with that Section 144 also became effective in the district. Model code of conduct ended after the formation of government at the centre in May and Section 144 was lifted,” replied the official.
But the officer could not give a satisfactory explanation of imposing this law for 350 days while no such law has been exposed for this long not even in Kashmir.