500 paramilitary forces, 12,000 jawans deployed in UP, internet services cut

3,500 personnel of central paramilitary forces, 12,000 jawans of the UP provincial armed constabulary (PAC) are on the job to maintain peace in Uttar Pradesh on Friday (December 27). Internet has also been snapped in a third of the state’s 21 of 75 districts, according to the state police chief.

“The law and order situation is absolutely under control, we continue to have strategic deployment of forces. We have suspended internet services in 21 districts, they will be restored as and when the situation demands,” said OP Singh, the Director General of Police, on Friday.

To avoid a repeat of last Friday’s violence in Gorakhpur, police staged flag march in sensitive areas and held a meeting with peace committees in all circle and police station areas.

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Internet had earlier been suspended in Bijnor, Bulandshahar, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Agra, Firozabad, Sambhal, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Rampur, Sitapur and Kanpur. Services have also been suspended in state capital Lucknow where clashes between the police and protesters took place last week.

Paramilitary force personnel and state police force have been deployed, and drone cameras are being used to ensure security on Friday, Gorakhpur District Magistrate Vijyendra Pandiyan said.

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Meanwhile, the process to confiscate the property of those involved in damaging public assets during the protests gained momentum as 372 people were served notices in different districts.

A Home Department spokesperson on Thursday put the death toll at 19 in the violence, which left 288 policemen injured, including 61 who received firearm injury. He said 327 FIRs have been registered and 5,558 preventive arrests made.