In an open letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey on Thursday condemned the “vengeance” with which the State government was acting in response to the violence during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
While stating that the violence was carried out by “anarchist elements”, Mr. Pandey said more “maturity and restraint” was expected of any government and administration.
He referred to the arrests of several social activists and students in Lucknow and Varanasi, and said, “If you'll send social activists, who have faith in the Constitution, to jail because your police in unable to identify the anarchist elements then the space for peaceful means of expressing dissent with the government in a democracy will be eliminated and anarchists elements will be easily able to mislead the common people”.
Mr. Pandey had sought an appointment with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on December 21 but did not get a response. Hence, he penned the open letter, he said.
Mr. Pandey also pointed to the alleged communal bias in the police action, saying in the FIRs registered in response to violence during protests most of the names of the accused were Muslims.
