Uttar Pradesh: Over 2,300 challans were issued against vehicles due to ostentatious display of caste or religion-based stickers on vehicles by the Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad police.
On Thursday, while visiting Varanasi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, during a review meeting, instructed the officials to take stringent actions against this practice.
Special Challan Drive Completed
Per the instructions from the UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, a 10-day special drive was organized from August 11, which ended on Sunday. These steps were taken as per their observation that while journeying in UP and Delhi NCR, one can easily spot such vehicles that exhibit such signs quite frequently.
Similarly, around 750 challans have been issued by Noida traffic police as well. This practice has been called out by officials wherein they mentioned that people have been practicing this act while displaying their castes on various parts of the vehicles, from registration plates to even windshields.
What Does the Law Say Regarding Challan?
Police have been vocal about the whole scenario wherein they have stated that displaying such signs is an offense under Section 179(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act.
“A Rs 1,000 challan will be charged for using such caste or religion-based remarks on your vehicle. Whereas if the number plate contains such remarks, the challan will be increased to Rs 5000,” said the DCP Traffic of Gautam Budh Nagar.
He added, “ Since writing anything besides the registration number on the number plate is forbidden, a Rs 5000 challan becomes imperative. Even the font size of the registration number on the plate and its style should also be according to the rules. Similar actions will also be regularly taken in the district for the coming months.”
According to the additional remarks, a challan for the amount of Rs 2500 was also issued by automobiles that had a black film on the window in addition to the other challans.
Challan Campaigns in Noida and Baghpath
Traffic police in every part of the state are taking separate actions in order to prevent people from openly displaying signs and symbols of their religion or caste in the manner described above.
ACP Traffic, Saurabh Srivastava, and his team are holding campaigns in Noida. Since the problem is with the people’s stubborn mindset, they aim to make people understand the issue behind this pompous show of symbols and signs.
Similarly, Baghpat police are running a similar campaign against people using ‘Brahman, Rajput, Gurjar or casteist words’ on their vehicles. Besides taking action, such stickers will also be removed by the officials then and there.
The Broader Issue Ahead Of Challan
“ It is undoubtedly a challenge to make people understand that they ought not to write or stick such remarks or symbols on their vehicles. Even after paying the challan, people get these things written on their vehicles again; such vehicles are then unfortunately seized by us,” added the DCP Traffic, Gautam Budh Nagar.
Similar crackdowns have been taking place in the past as well. In North India, such display of caste and religion has been a much-practiced activity since time immemorial.
The obsession of people with hierarchy and power has never faded away. Caste and class-based display underline the display of hierarchical power- one that others cannot transcend. However much we challenge such voices, these cannot be changed by paying a few thousands; it would perhaps require a few hundred years of preaching.
