Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has been facing criticism for the police crackdown on protesters, said that the action taken by authorities has 'shocked' rioters.
Uttar Pradesh has seen a spate of violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. At least 21 people have been killed in police action and more than 1,000 arrested. Hundreds of policemen and protesters have also been injured during the clashes.
Earlier this week, CM Adityanath, in a stern message, said that those vandalising public properties will have to pay for the damage. His government identified several people who they accused of rioting. They were served notices and asked to pay for the damages.
The move stirred a controversy. Responding to the criticism, the Chief Minister's office said: "Every rioter is shocked. Every demonstrator is shocked. Everyone has been silenced after seeing Yogi Adityanath government's stern intentions. The chief minister has announced that anyone damaging public property will have to pay. Every violent protester will cry now because there is a Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh."
In another tweet, Adityanath's office wrote: "After seeing the all-powerful form of Yogi Adityanath's government, every rioter must be thinking that he has made a big mistake by challenging Yogi's authority."
Despite the criticism, the process of confiscating the properties of those involved in damaging public properties is on. So far, as many as 372 people have been served notices in different districts of the state.
