LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party has launched a poster war with the state government by putting up banners of rape accused Chinmayanand and Unnao rape convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar -- both former BJP leaders -- beside the hoardings of anti-CAA protesters put up by the state authorities here on Friday.
Tweeting a picture of the banners of Chinmayanand and Sengar put up right next to the hoardings featuring 57 anti-CAA protesters, SP leader IP Singh posted: “When protesters don’t have any privacy and even after the orders of High Court and Supreme Court, Yogi Government is not taking down hoardings. So I have also put up hoardings of some named criminals, our daughters should be aware of them.”
In another tweet, Singh said: “People who will oppose hoardings will be the supporters of rapists and will be anti-woman. Before doing contempt of the High Court and Supreme Court and disobeying the Constitution the BJP should introspect first. BJP is anti-women.”
However, soon after the matter came to the notice of the Lucknow District Administration, the hoardings were removed and a vigil was stepped up to avoid a repeat of it.
The hoardings carried pictures of Chinmayanand and Sengar along with details of their criminal cases and bore the message, "Betiyan Rahe Savdhan, Surakshit Rahe Hindustan" (Daughters should be alert, Hindustan should be safe).
The banners also carry the message, “Yeh hain Pradesh ki betion ke aaropi, inse rahen savdhan (They are the culprits of state’s daughters, beware of them).” Apart from the pictures of Chinmayanand and Sengar, the banner also has various sections of the IPC under which both the leaders were booked.
The Supreme Court on Thursday told the Uttar Pradesh government that its decision to put up hoardings identifying anti-CAA protesters had no backing in law. It, however, did not pass any interim order and referred the issue to a larger three-judge bench to be heard next week.
The apex court is seized with the matter after the Uttar Pradesh government had challenged the March 9 order of the Allahabad High Court directing it to remove hoardings of those who were allegedly accused of violence and vandalism during the anti-CAA protests in Lucknow on December 19-20, last year.
The High Court had on Monday ordered Lucknow's District Magistrate and Police Commissioner to remove the ‘name-and-shame’ hoardings with immediate effect and submit the compliance report by March 16.