Show-cause notices pack a hefty punch for relatives of those arrested
LUCKNOW : The number of people to whom show-cause notices are issued to compensate damage during anti-CAA protests is rising, even as such people claim they had no role in the violence. Many of them are sole breadwinners of their families and are too poor to even engage a lawyer. Their families say they are reeling under the triple blows of penury, a family member’s detention and now the show cause notice.
In Lucknow, empathized by the neighbours, four sisters awaited the release of their 25-year- old brother Imtiaz when a relative broke the news that the district administration would send notices for recovery of damage caused by the anti-CAA protest that turned violent.
Imtiaz, a resident of Khadra of Lucknow, was among those arrested for the violence and vandalism. “My brother did nothing. Police arrested him and now we are told that the government will recover the damage,” said Reshma, Imtiaz’s sister.
The four unwed sisters and brother Imtiaz live in a congested house that has two rooms. “We can’t fight the government. Take our house but release Imtiaz. We can’t afford to lose both,” said his sister Saira, pointing at the dilapidated dwelling.
Similar is the case with Osama Siddiqui, a B. Com final year student of Khadra, who is in jail and whose family has been served the show cause notice to clarify as to why they should not be asked to pay for the damage to the property. “I have evidence that my son was not a part of the protest but no one listened to me. Now they have sent us this notice. What can we do?” said his mother.
Osama’s family consists of his mother and two younger siblings and they are struggling to get him out on bail. “We know Osama is innocent but what if we fail to prove it? We will lose what we earned over the decades,” his mother said .
The Lucknow district administration is assessing the loss but has served the show cause notices to the people allegedly involved in the violence it. District magistrate Abhishek Prakash said, “We have appointed nodal officers and the work of assessing the losses is on. However, notices have been issued and people have been given time to represent themselves.” A sister of Imtiaz said, “Since bhai is in jail, what can we do now? How will we respond to the notice? I do not have a single penny to hire a lawyer.” Rented house, 5 kids and notice
Seema, 30, is worried about the fate of her husband Pappu, a daily wager, who is in Rampur (west UP district) jail for alleged involvement in the violence and vandalism during December 20 anti-CAA stir. The single page notice that a cop handed over to her, allegedly asking for Rs. 200, dealt a hefty punch to this illiterate woman. “I did not have the money and refused to pay. The cop gave me this paper and said I should ask someone to read it ,” she said.
Mother of five, including four girls, Seema said, “I was worried about my husband but when I asked someone to read the letter, I was shattered. We do not have any resources. I am struggling to arrange a lawyer even to get my husband out on bail. My husband was not involved in all this and still the police put him behind the bars. And now this notice has come.” A government official said almost all who had been arrested so far were likely to get the show cause notices for the recovery of assets to compensate for the damage and the number may escalate. “These are not recovery notices but show cause notices. People to whom these notices have been issued are given time to clarify their stand in the court,” said AK Singh, DM, Rampur.