'Conspiracy To Create Communal Tension': NSA Invoked Against Four Muslims In MP For Throwing Severed Cow Head In Temple

The Ratlam district administration in Madhya Pradesh has invoked the stringent National Security Act (NSA) on Saturday (15 June) against four individuals for conspiring to stir communal tensions in Jaora town.

The four accused—Salman Mewati (21), Shakir Qureshi (19), Shahrukh (24), and Naushad (28), were arrested on Friday for throwing a severed cow head into a Jagannath temple in Jaora according to a report from the Hindustan Times.

“They hatched a conspiracy to create communal tension in the area,” said Manoj Kumar Singh, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ratlam division.

Shakir and Salman are neighbours, and the CCTV footage from Shakir’s house proved instrumental for the police in apprehending them.

The accused were sent to jail after being produced in court. On Friday, police also demolished the illegally constructed houses of Shakir and Salman.

The DIG explained, “On Friday morning, when the priest, Gaurav Giri Goswami, arrived at the temple, he found the severed cow head. He informed the locals and police. Later, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, along with other Hindu organisations, called for an indefinite shutdown of Jaora.”

Although the tensions were heightened after the incident, the police has now reported that the situation is under control and markets have re-opened.

The FIR has been registered under Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Madhya Pradesh Govansh Vadh Pratished Adhniyam 2004.