OREANDA-NEWS. More than 130 residents of Uttar Pradesh have received notifications of the need to pay an average of $ 530 in damages to state property during recent mass protests against the adoption of a new version of the Indian Citizenship Act. As The Times of India reported on Thursday, the total damage was estimated at 5 million rupees (more than $ 70 thousand).

The publication notes that the authorities identified the perpetrators of vandalism thanks to video recordings and photographs in the media. “Only those people who were recorded in photographs and videos when they threw stones or otherwise damaged property received such notifications. We gave them a week to respond”, the newspaper quoted the local official as saying. He added that those who refuse to pay may have their property confiscated. Moreover, all suspects have the right to challenge these claims in an official manner.

Some of these individuals will have to pay larger amounts because several cars and buses were burned during the riots. But the authorities also intend to demand from the protesters a fee even for damage to police property, including for batons, helmets and shields that were damaged during the crackdown by demonstrators.