The Bulandshahr district administration on Monday invoked the National Security Act against three people arrested in connection with the alleged cow slaughtering incident in Siyana tehsil last month, officials said.
Cattle carcasses were found strewn in the fields outside village Mahaw in Siyana on December 3 after which a mob went on the rampage, attacking the local Chingrawathi police post.
Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, 44, and civilian Sumit Kumar, 20, of Chingrawathi village were killed of gunshot injuries in the ensuing violence.
Two separate first information reports -- one for the violence in which nearly 80 people including 27 named and the other for cow slaughter -- were registered at the Siyana Police Station.
Seven people were arrested in the cow slaughter case, officials said, adding that three of them -- Azhar Khan, Nadeem Khan, Mehboob Ali -- were charged under the NSA.
"The three accused had applied for bail and there was a chance of them getting the bail. Keeping that in mind, the National Security Act has been invoked against them," District Magistrate Anuj Jha said.
"To maintain public order and amity, the three have been charged under the section 3 sub-section 3 of the NSA. The action has been taken based on a police report which stated that the trio indulged in cow slaughtering for earning money illegally," Jha added.
"Their acts have hurt the sentiments of Hindus in Mahav and Nayabans village after which the violence broke out in which people attacked the police with sticks and axe, among others, and Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was killed. This had disturbed public order and communal harmony," Jha said in a statement.
The district magistrate further said that if the trio was released on bail, they might tamper with evidence or engage in cow slaughter again which will disrupt public order.
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Hoardings with pics of violence accused come up in Bulandshahr
Hoardings featuring Bajrang Dal's Yogesh Raj, the main accused in the Bulandshahr violence, have been put up across the district, extending greetings on 'Makar Sankranti' and Republic Day.
Raj, a leader of the Hindutva outfit, was arrested on January 3 for his alleged role in the mob violence that killed a police officer and a local.
The hoardings also have photos of Satish Lodhi, Ashish Chauhan, Satendra Rajput and Vishal Tyagi, all accused in the case, along with a bigger picture of Raj, extending wishes on behalf of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal.
The Bajrang Dal said the hoardings were put up by local leaders 'on their own'.
The outfit's western UP region co-convenor Praveen Bhati, whose photo also appears in the hoardings, said the hoardings carry pictures of local functionaries of the group and since Raj is the Bulandshahr unit convenor hence his picture is also there.
"Also, they all are accused in the case, not guilty. It is for the court to decide. Putting pictures of organisation's office bearers on hoardings is not a crime," Bhati told PTI.
He also re-iterated that the Bajrang Dal stands in support of its office-bearers accused in the case and is providing them with all legal aid.
