Lucknow, March 13 I.P. Singh, the Samajwadi Party leader who had put up counter posters on Thursday night, shaming two BJP leaders accused of rape, is a former BJP activist.
Singh had joined the Samajwadi Party in March last year.
He was expelled from BJP for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'prachar mantri'.
I.P. Singh began his career as a student leader with ABVP.
Singh, known as a firebrand leader, not only owned up that he had put up the hoardings but also tweeted: "When the protesters have no privacy and the Yogi government is not removing the hoardings (of anti-CAA protesters), then take this. At the Lohia crossing, I have released posters of some of the court-named criminals in public interest. Daughters beware of them."
The posters were ripped off by the police late on Thursday night.
The SP leader had put up photographs of two BJP leaders former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, accused by the court in Unnao gang-rape case, and Chinmayanand, accused of rape by a law student in the state.
The hoardings carried pictures of Chinmayanand and Sengar along with the details of their criminal cases. "Betiyan Rahe Savdhan, Surakshit Rahe Hindustan," is the message that the hoardings carried.
The billboards read, "They are the culprits of our daughters, beware of them."
The SP leader said, "After midnight, the entire police machinery went on to remove the billboards put up by me to name and shame the two leaders accused in the rape cases."
He said police action had exposed the intention of the Adityanath government.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court had questioned the state government's decision to put up hoarding, displaying the pictures and addresses of people accused of indulging in violence and destruction of property during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, as there was no law to back the action.
The matter was referred to a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court.
The UP government had filed an appeal in the apex court to challenge the Allahabad High Court directive to pull down the roadside hoardings forthwith.
( With inputs from IANS )