The Uttar Pradesh Police will now invoke provisions of the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against cow smuggling and slaughter.



Offenders could also be booked under the Gangster's Act, Sulkhan Singh, director-general of police, said in a circular to district police chiefs on Tuesday.



Under the National Security Act, police can detain a person for as long as they wish without disclosing the grounds of detention. A person booked under the Gangsters' Act becomes part of a gang listed in police records. Police can then track the offender and summon him even if no fresh case is lodged. They can also seek remand for 60 days, as against the maximum of 14 days under normal circumstances.



“The government is committed to implementing the ban on cow smuggling and slaughter,” a senior police official said. He expects the decision to empower the police to act decisively against offenders.



The decision against cow slaughter and smuggling is not new, he explained. “The previous Akhilesh Yadav government had issued an order in this regard,” he said.



The DGP has also directed officials to act sternly against vigilantes. “Those indulging in vigilantism should be dealt with sternly,” he said in his directive.



The instructions come in the wake of attacks by 'gaurakshaks' (cow protectors) on those transporting cows, even if not for slaughtering.

