Taking a selfie near 5, Kalidas Marg – the official residence of Uttar Pradesh 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 sakar ka tohfa, selfie lene par lag sakta hai UPCOCA! (It’s a new year gift to the people from Uttar Pradesh government, taking selfies could invite action under UPCOCA,” tweeted Yadav.
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 youths 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 told HT.
Subsequently, the local police put up the banner let people know that the area came under a high security zone. “I was not informed about this decision,” he said.
Kalidas Marg – the VVIP stretch in front of the official residence of the UP CM – has been in news in the past too. During the Bahujan Samaj Party regime, the then CM Mayawati had made it inaccessible to the commuters.
“This heavily barricaded stretch remained closed for five years during Mayawati’s regime,” recalled Sandeep Saxena, a chartered accountant on Park Road.
The restriction was lifted when Akhilesh Yadav took over as the CM in 2012 and the road was thrown open to the public. “Yadav even beautified the stretch and developed cycle and jogging tracks for morning walkers,” Saxena said. Mohd Khalid, a Lucknow resident whose office is located close to Kalidas Marg, said: “We have a PM (Narendra Modi) who is fond of taking selfies with youths and foreign dignitaries and here we are being told we can be punished for the act. Thankfully the banner has been taken off,” he said.