The Uttar Pradesh Police on October 5 claimed to have busted an ‘international conspiracy’ to instigate caste dynamics in the state to defame the Yogi Adityanath government over the Hathras gang-rape and murder case.
The UP Police have registered at least 19 FIRs across the state in connection with spreading false information and trying to push state to turmoil.
At least six people, including two in Lucknow, have been arrested by the police in connection with the alleged conspiracy.
The police have claimed that intelligence agencies have indicated alleged involvement of the organisations including-Amnesty International, PFI, and SDPI along with leaders of several mainstream political parties in the conspiracy to spoil the state government’s image in the name of seeking justice for Hathras victim.
Moreover, the evidence of foreign funding has also been revealed.
UP Additional Director General of Police (Law & order) Prashant Kumar on Monday said that ‘conspiracy’ was being hatched to create unrest in the state.
‘Some specific groups used social media platforms to spread hatred and incite people for creating conflict on caste lines by organising unlawful gatherings in times of Covid-19 pandemic,’ the top cop said.
He said that the police department had found evidence of the audio and video clips that suggested that some of these groups even offered Rs 50 lakh to the victim’s family to speak against the UP government.
A website, justiceforhathrasvictim.carrd.co, which had information on how to protest safely by avoiding the police, has been linked to the conspiracy. The site has now been taken down, the police said.
It also listed dos and don’ts on how to stay safe during riots and in situations when police fire tear gas.
The ADG further said that police teams were checking the veracity of the details on the website. ‘Action will be taken against if anything comes up in our investigation,’ he said.
Police said that at least six FIRs in connection with Hathras case were lodged in Bijnor, Bulandshahr, Lucknow, Prayagaraj, Mathura, Shamli, and Saharanpur for unlawful protest, breaching Section 144 of CrPC and inciting hatred on social media.
In one of the FIRs lodged at Chandpa Police station of Hathras, unidentified people were booked under IPC sections pertaining to sedition, inciting caste violence, promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, imputations, and assertions prejudicial to national integration, forgery, forgery for purpose of cheating, forgery for purpose of harming reputation, along with other sections of IPC and IT Act were also invoked against 400-500 unidentified people.
Even Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, Samajwadi Party, and RLD (Rashtriya Lok Dal) workers were also mentioned in different FIRs lodged in Hathras.
In Lucknow, six FIRs were lodged against people who posted false news or morphed images of CM Yogi Adityanath on social media platforms in connection with the Hathras incident to incite hatred among people.
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