Viral Notice Threatens FIR Against Those Serving Water to Migrants in UP, Bulandshahr Police Calls it Conspiracy

Lucknow: After a notice by Bulandshahr police, warning of an FIR against persons providing food to migrant workers went viral on Friday,  a senior police official issued a clarification saying it was served only to former MLA Bhagwan Sharma alias Guddu Pandit for violating lockdown orders.

Speaking to media SSP Bulandshahr Santosh Kumar Singh said, “The entire issue seems to be a conspiracy by former MLA Bhagwan Sharma alias Guddu Pandit as he was served notice for violating the lockdown norms. The notice was served to him as he called on people to gather outside his house in huge numbers."

Singh alleged that the notice was now being quoted and shared out of context after the receiver's name was removed as part of a "conspiracy."

"The Bulandshahr police have always appreciated the efforts of many social workers who helped people with food.”

However, contradicting the claims of SSP, the official Twitter account of Bulandshahr Police has stated that the notice was issued without the name of the receiver.

“The above-mentioned notice was not issued with a name, hence the Khurja police outpost in charge has been transferred to police line duty and circle officer of the city has been asked for further clarification,” the tweet said.

The notice being circulated on social media says, “It has been seen that migrant labourers, who are walking on the road, are being stopped outside houses. We have received information that migrants labourers are lured inside houses through food and water. This is a violation of rules laid down for Covid-19."

The notice – issued by the circle officer of Bulandshahr city on May 11 – warned that if such incidents were to be repeated, then legal action will be taken against the individuals for violation of the Epidemic Act. However, it did not specify who it was addressed to.

Meanwhile, Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav slammed the state government over the issue. "The Yogi Adityanath government is threatening legal action against all those who are helping migrants with food and water,” he wrote on Twitter.