11 summoned by UP ATS from Maharashtra for alleged ‘hate speech’

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has called upon 11 individuals from the city to appear at its headquarters in Lucknow between January 15 and 18. The summons are related to an alleged hate speech made during a meeting on September 17 in the city and involve offenses under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Kuldeep Tiwari, the Deputy Superintendent of UP ATS, stated, “Our team, in collaboration with our counterparts from the Maharashtra ATS, has issued notices to 11 out of the 14 suspects named in the FIR (registered on October 11, 2023, with ATS police station at Gomti Nagar in Lucknow).” Tiwari, however, noted that he wasn’t authorized to provide further details on the case.

UP ATS’s Additional Director General Mohit Agarwal, Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Singh, and Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh did not answer as of Monday’s press time.

Another UP ATS officer, familiar with the investigation, disclosed, “The case pertains to alleged statements made during a secret meeting held on September 17, 2023, in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to plot a conspiracy for executing a sensational incident early in 2024.”

The FIR filed by UP ATS mentions that a salesman employed at a pharmacy store is an alleged supporter of the banned terror outfit IS and consistently shares ‘radical’ content on social media.