Lucknow, May 21 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh Government Wednesday denied making identity proof mandatory to purchase bicycles, but the Varanasi police, which issued such a directive, remained firm on it. The police in Varanasi Tuesday issued a directive to all bicycle dealers and shops to ask for residence and identity proof from all buyers, in the wake of the Jaipur terror attack where bicycles were used to trigger explosions.

UP’s Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal told mediapersons that there was no such directive from the state home department.

He said most bicycles were bought by the poor and by villagers, and it was impractical to monitor their sale.

However, a senior police official in Varanasi said: “We would ensure compliance of our directive since it involves people’s security”.

He said anything from electoral photo identity cards, ration card, driving licence, bank pass-books to government ID cards would do. “There was no reason a villager could not produce any of them,” he argued.

A similar directive had been issued in the twin towns of Ayodhya-Faizabad after the July 5, 2005 attack on the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid structure.