Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's decision was met with a huge uproar, after the service of 25,000 auxiliary forces personnel was ended on 15 September.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, the now-redundant guards were seen begging on the streets with bowls in their hands to protest against the government's decision.
Homeguards came out on streets of Muzaffarnagar in UP with a begging bowl to protests govt's decision to remove 25,000 homeguards due to "financial constraint". pic.twitter.com/VWzlXSoCfh
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) October 15, 2019
An additional 99,000 memebers of the auxiliary forces- a voluntary force that acts in support of the state police - also are at risk of losing partial employment as the government has reduced their servie from 25 to 15 working days.
Earlier, the guards were entitled to a daily allowance equivalent to $69, which was subsequently raised to approximately $79 after a court order. The pay hike has been cited as the reason for budgetary constraints and the ensuing cut-backs.
Opposition party leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Mayawati have condemned the move by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, saying that more security forces were needed in the state to address the deteriorating state of law and order.