Mayawati demands withdrawal of UPCOC bill

Lucknow: BSP chief Mayawati has demanded the withdrawal of the UPCOC bill, which was introduced in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday, saying the ruling government might misuse it to suppress Dalits and religious minorities.

The state government introduced the bill to enact a stringent law on the lines of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to combat land mafia, mining mafia and organised crimes in the state.

Mayawati said the Yogi Adityanath government is already misusing various laws for communal and political reasons, and the UPCOC bill if passed, will only worsen the situation.

"Laws are grossly misused in the state to the extent that any BJP worker walks up to a police station and the police registers false cases against people," Mayawati said in a statement here.

"The UPCOC will be used for suppression of the poor, Dalits, backwards and the religious minorities," she said, adding that she wanted the bill to be withdrawn in public interest.