MEERUT: Meerut police on Thursday issued a directive saying this year’s Eid namaz in the city will be restricted only to designated places such as the nearest mosques and the ground at Faiz-e-Aam inter college. Issuing a stern warning, Meerut SP (city) Ayush Vikram Singh said, “Violators will face immediate legal action, including FIR and potential arrest. We’ll also initiate proceedings to cancel their passport and driving licence.”
An extensive security plan, deploying drones, video surveillance and forces like the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) to monitor key areas has been put into action,” the SP said. He further said that last year, cases were registered against 200 worshippers for offering ‘namaz’ on the streets.
The advisory by UP police evoked a cryptic post by RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary on Thursday. Jayant, a minister in the NDA govt, while commenting on a social media thread on the police’s advisory, wrote: “Policing Towards Orwellian 1984!”
Several political observers and netizens quickly linked Jayant’s brief post to George Orwell’s dystopian 1949 novel, which largely describes “state control designed to maintain absolute power over the population.”
Jayant’s UP-based party, which was initially part of the opposition INDIA bloc, switched over to NDA just months before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Notably, rumours of RLD-BJP alliance had started doing the rounds after the Bharat Ratna was announced for Jayant’s grandfather and late PM Chaudhary Charan Singh in Feb, 2024. The RLD chief had welcomed the “honour”, writing: “Dil jeet liya mera (They have won my heart).”
