Digvijaya questions slapping NSA on suspected cow killers

Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh on Thursday raised questions over imposition of the National Security Act (NSA) on three persons suspected of killing a cow in Khandwa district of the state. "NSA should not be imposed for this. The accused should have been charged under other relevant laws," Singh told reporters here.

The three accused -- Nadeem, his brother Shaqeel and Ajmal -- were charged under the NSA over killing of a cow in Kharkhali village of Khandwa district's Moghat area. Currently, they are in jail. The police said Nadeem is a criminal and has been involved in many incidents of crime, including a similar incident.

The police took the step to maintain harmony, they added. Ever since the Kamal Nath-led Congress government came to power in the state, it is first incident of a cow killing in which the NSA was invoked.

On questions asked by the reporters on Ram Mandir construction, Singh said the Congress has never opposed it. "The party respects all religions... The Congress neither asks to cast vote nor collects donations in the name of religion."