UP bans caste-based political rallies, orders removal of caste markers from police records

The Uttar Pradesh government has barred caste-based political rallies and public displays of caste-based signage, saying that they threaten “public order” and undermine constitutional values, The Indian Express reported.

The directive, issued on Sunday by officiating Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar to district magistrates, police chiefs and other state officials, said that rallies organised on caste lines for political purposes promote social conflict. It directed authorities to take action against those inciting divisions through “caste-based displays and protests”, the newspaper reported.

The directive came just days after an Allahabad High Court order that prohibited the declaration of caste in police documents and other records. The court had also taken exception to the broader practice of caste glorification on vehicles and on social media.