UP Chief Minister requests to people to keep up peace

Lucknow, Apr 2 Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today spoke to the people not to vitiate peace, in the midst of reports of violence in parts of western Uttar Pradesh amid the 'Bharat Bandh' called by dalit outfits against the Supreme court on the SC/ST Act.

"The law and order should not be disturbed by these protests. The government is not serious towards the development and progress of dalits. I claim to them not to bother the law and order," Adityanath told reporters.

"Both the Centre and the state government are committed to the welfare of the backward castes, the scheduled castes and the planned tribes. If there is any issue, one can bring them to the notice of the government," he said.

There are reports of the violence in some western UP regions amid the dissents by dalits.

The Supreme Court on March 20 had banned automatic arrests and registration of criminal cases under the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, a legislation meant to protect the marginalised groups from abuse and discrimination.

Deciding that no capture can be made under the Act without prior permission, the apex court had also held that a court can grant anticipatory bail if it, at first sight, finds the dissension is a manhandle of the law, false, inspired and proposed to extort or pester a man.

This was important, the court had stated, to keep the rampant misuse of the tough provisions of the law.