Traders were aggrieved over note ban

The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested a person and booked 22 others, mostly traders, in Kanpur on charges of likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in posters and hoardings.

An FIR was registered at the Govind Nagar police station in Kanpur against the traders under Sections 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 32(2) of the UP Special Powers Act.

Unable to smoothly operate their businesses due to the high circulation of coins in the market post-demonetisation, traders and hawkers in Kanpur had put up posters and hoardings to draw the attention of the government after their pleas to the local authorities and branches of the RBI had gone unheeded.

On the controversial posters and hoardings, Mr. Kim and Mr. Modi were placed on either side, while mentioning that the former would not rest till he destroyed the world, while the latter till he destroyed businesses or trade. “Mein vyapar ko mitake dum lunga [I will not rest till I destroy businesses],” the caption under Mr. Modi read in Hindi.

The posters also appeal Mr. Modi to explain through his ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme what small traders should do with the huge supply of rezgaari (small change).

Ashok Verma, Kanpur South SP, said the posters were a “provocation to hurting public sentiments and threat to public order”.