The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has approved to set up a special security force, which will have absolute powers to search anyone without any warrant.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Awanish Awasthi, said late Sunday, “The state government has given orders for the constitution of a special security force. A roadmap in this regard has been sought from the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP).”
He added that the members of this force can arrest any person without the orders of a magistrate or a warrant. According to a report by India Today, five battalions will be constituted in the first phase, and will be headed by an additional director general (ADG)-ranked officer.
Mr. Awasthi said,“This is a dream project of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. The basis of this force is an order of the High Court, which had expressed that there should be a specialised force for civil courts. In all, there will be 9,919 personnel in the force. Expenses incurred in the first phase will be around Rs. 1,747 crore.”
The development has been met with criticism over rising fascism and the death of democracy in the BJP-ruled state.
The special force will have special powers just like the CISF. The Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force or UPSSF will be tasked to protect courts, airports, administrative buildings, metros, banks, among other government offices.
Stay tuned for further updates.
