Kashmiri vendors 'roughed up' during anti-encroachment drive in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: A Kashmiri vendor was allegedly slapped while several other dry fruit sellers were rounded up and bundled into police vehicles in Lucknow during an anti-encroachment drive by Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) near the 1090 Crossing.

Multiple videos of the drive went viral on social media where police were purportedly seen manhandling a vendor and dragging several into vans on Sunday.

Netizens slammed the Lucknow police action.

In one video, a policeman was seen slapping a young vendor while bundling him inside the van, while other LMC officials were also seen dragging the other sellers on the bridge over Gomti near 1090 Crossing. The vendors alleged that they were removing their fruits when the authorities started throwing their materials and started pulling them inside the vehicles when they protested.

On the other hand, police said, they were being removed due to the VIP movement and that the youth misbehaved with the authorities.

“The stretch between 1090 to Samta Mulak is a VIP road and due to the movement of VIPs on that stretch, the LMC runs anti-encroachment drives from time to time with the help of the police,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), East, Ashish Srivastava.

On Sunday, the Chief Minister was supposed to take the road, for which LMC officials had gone there to remove the encroachment. However, youth selling dry fruits there misbehaved with LMC authorities after which they were brought to police station using force, the DCP added.

“They were challaned under 151 of CrPc and are being warned to avoid this stretch due to VIP movement on this road,” the DCP said.

A vendor said, “We have been selling dry fruits here for the last 10 years. We travel 2,000 kilometres to earn a livelihood. We have children to feed as we have no work there in Kashmir. We are here only for selling and not begging.”

They alleged that officials abused and misbehaved with them.