No more caste rallies or signboards in UP

Uttar Pradesh govt calls them a threat to public order and national unity

- BISWAJEET BANERJEE

The Uttar Pradesh government has issued a sweeping order prohibiting caste-based political rallies and public displays of caste identity, calling them a threat to public order and national unity.

‘The directive, announced late Sunday by officiating Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar, was sent to district magistrates, senior bureaucrats, and police officials across the state. It follows a September 16 ruling of the Allahabad High Court, which directed the state to stop recording caste details in police documents except where required under the SC/ ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The court criticised the rationale offered by the state police chief, calling it detached from social realities and the needs of professional policing.