"Search, Arrest Without Warrant": UP Govt Sets Up New Special Security Task Force

A special force will be set up in Uttar Pradesh that will be empowered to search and arrest without a warrant, the Yogi Adityanath-led government said on September 13.

The Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force or UPSSF will be tasked to protect courts, airports, administrative buildings, metros, banks and several other state government offices.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said "eight battalions of the UPSSF will be constituted initially at a cost of ₹ 1747.06 crore". The initial infrastructure for the force would come from the PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary), a special unit of the UP Police.

The UPSSF "will be a dream project" for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Awasthi added.

Any member of special task force can arrest any person without the prior permission of any magistrate and without any warrant. The UP government's latest move has been criticised and opposed by many who claim that the power to search and arrest could be misused.

Powers being given to the UPSSF are similar to the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force).

"Any member of the force may, without any order from a magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person who voluntarily cause hurt to, or attempts voluntarily to cause hurt to, or wrongfully restrains or attempts wrongfully to restrain or assaults, or uses, or threatens or attempts to use criminal force to any employee," section 11 of the CISF Act 1968 says.

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