76 of the 139 arrests recorded in UP under the National Security Act (NSA) this year, until August, were on cow slaughter charges.

Out of 139 arrests in Uttar Pradesh till Aug. 19 this year, 76 were charged with cow slaughter under the National Security Act.

Out of 139 arrests in Uttar Pradesh till Aug. 19 this year, 76 were charged with cow slaughter under the National Security Act. The UP government had amended the National Security Act in Jun. 2020, inserting stricter rules. This year, until Aug. 26, over 4,000 people had been arrested under the Act and 1,716 cases registered. However, the closure report has been filed only in 32 cases. Until Aug. 19, of the 139 cases where the police had imposed National Security Act, 76 (or more than half) were for cow slaughter.

In the light of this, the Allahabad High Court expressed concern over the fact that the government might be “misusing the act against innocent persons” and emphasized that a solution needs to be found to handle abandoned cows if the legislation is to be implemented in “letter and spirit”.

Apart from invoking the NSA against 79 people suspected of cow slaughter this year, the Uttar Pradesh police have also arrested over 4,000 people in 1,716 cases registered under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act as of Aug. 26.

Under the NSA, the authorities have the power to detain a person without a charge for up to 12 months if they felt that he or she was a threat to national security or law and order. NSA allows to arrest or detain the person up to 12 months without a charge.