Slaughtering of Cows and Cattle Smuggling to punishable under National Securities Act in Uttar Pradesh
June 07, 2017With the ongoing crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses and cattle smuggling, Uttar Pradesh, Director General of Police Mr. Sulkhan Singh has ordered to all SPs, SSPs, DIGs and IGs to book people under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and Gangsters Act for those who are involved in cow-slaughter or smuggling of cows and their progeny.
Weeks ago, the center issued a controversial rule that made the sale of cattle for slaughter at animal Markets illegal.
Following this, on Monday, Sulkhan Singh issued a circular that has been sent to all officers across the state.
The directive demands rigorous execution to curb cow slaughter and smuggling in the state. Criminals involved in such acts will be booked under National Security Act and Gangsters Act.
The National Security Act permits strict actions like preventive detention, without bail or trial, under specified circumstances. It must be noted here that the government is not liable to disclose the grounds while detaining a person under NSA. Further, NSA allows for preventive detention for upto a year by the district magistrate.
Under the Gangster’s Act, a person can be imprisoned for two to ten years and a fine which may be upto INR 5000 or more.
However, the order fails to mention the specific circumstances under which the legislations will be applied.
Uttar Pradesh is not the first state to undertake such draconian measures to regulate the situation of cow slaughter and related offences in the state. There are several instances of people being detained for cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh as well.
On the pretext of ambiguity on the specific grounds for conviction under NSA, there is huge room for misusing the order for money under the veil of protecting cows leading to vigilantism. Also, such a rigid order may impact the cattle trade adversely.