Row over ‘selfie ban’ near UP chief minister’s residence
LUCKNOW: Taking a selfie near 5, Kalidas Marg — the official residence of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath — may land you in trouble.
The UP police on Wednesday put up a banner at the intersection leading towards the CM’S residence, a high security zone warning people that clicking pictures and selfies in the VIP area was a punishable offence and strict action would follow against the offenders. As the development coincided with the tabling of the Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill 2017 (UPCOCB) in the assembly to control organised crime in the state, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav posted a tweet taking a potshot at the Yogi Adityanath government.
“Naye saal mein janta ko Uttar Pradesh sarkar ka tohfa, selfie lene par lag sakta hai UPCOCA! (It’s a new year gift to people from Uttar Pradesh government, taking selfies could invite action under UPCOCA),” he tweeted.
Formulated on the lines of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), UPCOCA aims at checking the activities of land mafia, mining mafia and organised crimes. Moments after Akhilesh’s tweet, the Lucknow district administration pulled down the banner.
“Some youth had an altercation with police personnel posted at the security barrier when they were prevented from taking a selfie at the spot as it is a high-security zone,” SSP Lucknow,
Deepak Kumar, said.
Subsequently, the local police put up the banner to let people know that the area was a high-security zone. “I was not informed about this decision,” he said.
Kalidas Marg has been in the news in the past too. During the Bahujan Samaj Party regime, the then CM Mayawati had made it inaccessible to commuters. “This heavily barricaded stretch remained closed for five years during Mayawati’s regime,” recalled Sandeep Saxena, a chartered accountant. The restriction was lifted when Akhilesh took over as the CM in 2012 and the road was thrown open to the public.