The Uttar Pradesh state government announced on September 13, 2020 that a special force will be constituted to protect courts, airports, administrative buildings, metros, banks and other government offices. The Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force (UPSSF) will reportedly be allowed to conduct searches and arrests without warrants if it is sure about the crime.
The special force will have powers similar to the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force), that can search and arrest without a warrant. The UPSSF will set up on the basis of orders of the Allahabad High Court, which had expressed its displeasure over the security at civil courts in December 2019.
The information was shared by UP's Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi during a press briefing. Awasthi stated that the state government has given orders for the constitution of the special security force and a roadmap in this regard has been sought from the UP DGP.
He continued by saying that setting up of the special force is a dream project of the UP Chief Minister and that the order has been passed based on Allahabad High Court's order, in which the court had ordered that there should be a specialised force for civil courts.
Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force (UPSSF)
• The state will constitute five battalions in the first phase, which will headed by an ADG-ranked officer . The first phase is expected to cost the state around Rs 1747 crore.
• The state aims to set up the new special force within the next three months with 9,900 personnel recruited in the first month. The Uttar Pradesh DGP has been asked to draw up plan for the new special force in 3 days.
• The special force will be responsible for the security of important government, private and industrial establishments.
• The force will be responsible of providing security to the high court, district courts, banks, financial institutions, airports, metro rail, administrative offices and buildings, educational institutions and industrial establishments.
• The special force will also be placed at other important establishments including religious places and places of pilgrimage.
The UPSSF will have powers to search without any warrant and arrest any person without the orders of a magistrate or a warrant.
• The force will be given special training and will be equipped with modern security equipment and informed about modern security techniques and gadgets.
Background
The Allahabad High Court had in its order on December 18, 2019 pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government over a shootout at a Bijnor courtroom. The court had directed the state government to form an exclusive force for security on court premises.
The two-judge HC bench had stated in its order that most incompetent police personnel are currently being posted at the courts. The bench said that it will seek the deployment of central forces if the state fails to take required action.
Violent Incidents in UP Courts |
| • Three assailants had opened fire in the Bijnor court on on December 17, 2019, killing a murder accused and injuring two policemen and a court employee. • The Muzaffarnagar court had also witnessed a similar incident in 2015, when an armed man had entered the courtroom under the pretext of being a lawyer and shot dead an alleged gangster Vicky Tyagi. • In another case on June 13, 2019, UP Bar Council Chairperson Darvesh Kumari Yadav was shot dead by a colleague in her chamber on the premises of civil court in Agra. |
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