New Delhi: A group of 152 dignitaries led by former UP chief secretary Yogendra Narian have written an open letter highlighting the good works of current dispensation while denouncing the ‘blatant attempt’ by vested interests to tarnish the image of the Yogi Adityanath government.
Taking objection to the baseless charges, the signatories said that the politically motivated pressure groups do not represent esteemed citizens and bureaucrats who believe in the idea of India emerging as the greatest democracy of the world.
“This group has selectively chosen their political targets while following a covert political agenda, indulged in a propaganda based on inadequate or concocted facts and prejudiced mindset,” signatories wrote in the open letter.
They rubbished the allegations of pressure groups that innocent citizens with Muslims, Dalits & OBCs, in particular, were being targeted by the UP government.
Putting the facts ahead, they revealed that from March 2017 to July 11, a total of 8367 police encounters took place in Uttar Pradesh, a total of 18025 criminals suffered injuries, out of which 3246 were arrested and 140 lost their lives. The so-called “innocents” and “petty criminals” 115 out of 140 Criminals were carrying rewards’; 21 out of them carried reward of Rs. 50,000 each , and 9 of them carried rewards of Rs. 1.5 lakh.
“Only 51 out of 140 criminals killed in police encounters were from minority communities. 13 Policemen were killed in the so-called ‘fake’ encounters, and another 1140 Policemen were injured,” it said.
Regarding the allegation of crushing dissent by suppressing democratic protests during CAA, NRC agitation, they asserted that protesters cannot be called ‘peaceful’ and ‘innocent’ if found indulging in ransacking and destruction of public property.
Refuting the allegations over journalist Siddiqui Kappan from Kerala, the dignitaries said that he is an active member of radical Popular Front of India (PFI) and was sent to jail and denied bail on merits by competent courts.
