Three held in cow slaughter case

Jalna, Sept 7 (PTI) Police on Sunday arrested three individuals in connection with the alleged slaughter of a cow, which had sparked tension in Jalna district, a senior officer said.

Police registered a case of outraging religious feelings and under provisions of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act after a video went viral on September 1, said Superintendent of Police Ajaykumar Bansal.

The investigation led to the arrest of the main accused, Aslam Qureshi, and two others, namely Sufiyan Qureshi and Yaseen Qureshi.

The video had sparked widespread outrage, with right-wing groups threatening to halt the immersion of Lord Ganesh idols unless the accused were arrested.

"It was a big challenge for us, as there is no magic wand to act instantly. However, we formed four teams and sent them to different locations, including Khuldabad, Parbhani, and Hyderabad," Bansal said.

The police officer said the arrests helped ease tensions, and the Ganesh idol immersions were carried out peacefully without any untoward incident.

He said the police would add more sections of the Information Technology Act and MCOCA against the accused persons. PTI COR NSK