A photograph of a red banner with the text, “BJP workers are not allowed to enter the police station” in Hindi, put up outside the Medical College police station in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh is being widely shared on social media platforms.
The banner, which carries station incharge Sant Sharan Singh’s name, is being shared to claim that the police put up the banner outside the station.
However, the claim is false.
Speaking to The Quint, Sant Sharan Singh said that a group of people – who were dissatisfied with the police’s approach of handling a property dispute – sat to protest outside the station. He added that some “anti-social elements” put the poster up, who were later arrested.
CLAIM
The photograph of the banner outside the Medical College police station in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh is being shared to claim that the police put up a banner prohibiting BJP workers’ entry into the station.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also shared the same claim on Twitter.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
We checked Meerut Police's verified Twitter account for any information regarding the poster, and came across a tweet carrying a note regarding the incident.
The note mentioned that some “anti-social people” were attempting to put undue pressure on the police in connection to a property dispute between a woman and her brother-in-law in order to change the way the police handled the case.
“Due to the non-cooperation of the police in doing this illegal work, these anti-social elements made a poster to tarnish the image of the police and pasted it on the wall of the police station, which read that workers of a particular political party were not allowed to enter the police station,” the note read.
The account also shared a video statement by the police, which mentioned the names of the six people arrested in the case.
The Quint contacted SHO Sant Sharan Singh, whose name is on the poster. Singh denied that the police had put it up, adding that a case had been registered under sections 147, 309, 353 and others of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“Six to seven people have been arrested in this case. Some anti-social elements came to the police station and made demands that we get their shop vacated by force. When we refused to do so, they sat on a protest and put up the banner. After the visuals went viral on social media, they were arrested and sent to jail three days ago.”SHO Sant Sharan Singh, Medical College police station, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
Singh said that it would be stupid of the police to put up such a banner. “How can the police prohibit any person, or a party worker from entering the police station?” he asked.
We also came across a tweet by Live Hindustan journalist Vishva Gaurav, which showed a man dressed in an orange shirt adjusting the banner and walking away from it.
Singh confirmed to us that it showed Shambhu Pehelwan – one of the six arrested – putting the banner up outside the police station.
News organisations such as The Hindu and The Indian Express also carried reports on the incident, noting that the police began investigating the issue after visuals of the banner went viral on social media.
The IE spoke to Senior Superintendent of Police Prabhakar Chaudhary, who said that the act of putting the banner up – which made it look like SHO Singh had issued the order – had “hurt the image” of Meerut Police.
Evidently, Meerut Police personnel did not put up a banner prohibiting BJP workers from entering the Medical College police station in Uttar Pradesh.
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