Following an Allahabad High Court ruling to eradicate caste based discrimination, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday issued an order outlawing all references to caste in police records and public settings.
Caste will no longer be mentioned in arrest memos, First Information Reports (FIRs), or other police records, according to directives from Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar to all departments.
Rather, the parents names will be used for identification. Additionally, the order mandates that any caste related references, slogans, or symbols that are placed on police station noticeboards, cars, or signboards be taken down right away.
The government did clarify that, in situations where caste identification is still required by law, exclusions will apply in complaints filed under the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The state has also banned caste based gatherings, and law enforcement is responsible for closely monitoring social media sites to stop infractions.
Additionally, the government announced that the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act of 1988 would punish vehicles that displayed caste names or caste glorifying slogans.
