UP Government Set To Launch 10,000 Personnel Strong Security Force With Search And Arrest Powers

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government has asked the Director-General of Police to prepare a road map for the formation of UP Special Security Force (UPSSF) in the next three days, reports Indian Express.

This comes just about a fortnight after the State Government had issued the notification for the formation of the force which will have a total strength of 9,919 personnel in the first phase of its formation. This will be executed in three months.

The force will be headquartered in Lucknow and initially possess a total of five battalions. It should also be noted that while a total of 9,919 personnel will be deployed in the first phase, this will also be followed by the creation of 1,913 more posts.

The UPSSF will serve along the lines of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and hold the responsibility for securing vital Government and private buildings, and industrial establishments. It will be deployed in places like metro rail, airports, industrial institutions, courts, religious places, banks and other financial institutions.

Speaking on the matter Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said that the basis of this force was an order of the Allahabad high court that spoke about a specialised force for protection of establishments such as the civil courts.

He also added that the force will provide security to the high court, district courts, administrative offices and buildings, metro rail, airports, banks, financial institutions, educational institutions and industrial units.

Speaking on the powers vested he said that the personnel will have powers such as search without warrant, arrest without orders of a magistrate or a warrant.

The state of Uttar Pradesh witnessed multiple acts of violence in courts in the recent years. There was a shootout in the Bijnor chief judicial magistrate court leading to the death of a murder accused and injuring two others in December 2019.

In 2015 a court in Muzaffarnagar also saw a similar incident in 2015 when a alleged gangster was shot dead by a man pretending to be a lawyer. The Chairperson of Uttar Pradesh Bar Council, Darvesh Kumar Yadav had been shot dead in her own chamber in the civil court at Agra premises in June 2019.

The formation of the force had first been announced by Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath on 26 June.