Selfies near Yogi's residence to invite jail

Selfies near the official residence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath may land the "offenders" in jail.

The warning is contained in a signboard put up by the Uttar Pradesh police near the chief minister's house on Kalidas Marg. "Taking pictures and selfies in this VIP area is a punishable offence... stern action will be taken against anyone who is caught doing so," says the signboard.

Social activists and political rivals of BJP reacted sharply to the warning and termed it a violation of human rights. "Such warnings not only violate our human rights but also unnecessarily create an atmosphere of fear... it's a public place and any such order is illegal," said activist Nutan Thakur.

Former chief minister and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav also took a jibe at Adityanath. "How can selfies pose security threat to the chief minister? Be warned that the state government may invoke UPCOCA (the proposed law for tackling organised crime) against the violators," Akhilesh said.

State government spokesman and minister Siddharth Nath Singh said he had no knowledge of the signboard.