
National Security Act (NSA) has been slapped against three persons after they were arrested for cow slaughter in communally sensitive Khandwa town of Madhya Pradesh, the first such action under the Congress government.
The Moghat Police arrested Raju alias Nadeem and Shakeel from Kharkali village early on Friday. Azam, the third accused who had managed to escape, was nabbed on Monday. Khandwa SP Siddharth Bahuguna told The Indian Express that NSA has been slapped against the accused.
Mohan Singore, the in-charge of Moghat Police Station, said Raju was a habitual offender and had been booked previously under the cow slaughter legislation. He said the police had received a tip-off about cow slaughter. The police recovered the carcass of a heifer from the spot and held Nadeem and Shakeel who tried to escape.
The police have booked the accused under Sections 4, 6, 9 of the Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act. On the recommendation of the superintendent of police, the district collector sanctioned slapping of the NSA that allows detention for a longer period.
Singore said that informers had told the police that the accused usually transported meat in containers used for carrying milk to escape attention. He also said that there was a possibility of communal tension but the arrest of the third accused brought the situation under control.