Cow vigilantes under watch during Monsoon session

Police security during the Monsoon Session of the Lok Sabha will be on a special lookout for cow vigilantes. Intelligence agencies have conveyed to the Delhi Police that a strict watch should be maintained over groups protesting cow slaughter, as they are expected to create a ruckus and spread communal violence during the Monsoon Session.

Following this alert, specific measures have been taken by Delhi Police and covert operations which include mass surveillance have been undertaken in several districts, including northeast Shahara and outer districts of the capital.

Sources in Delhi Police told DNA that the special branch of Delhi police and VIP security unit have been roped in majorly for the initiative. The Monsoon Session of Parliament which started on Monday and will continue till August 11, is also expected to raise topics like vigilantism, lynching and cow slaughter, which may have repercussions outside the Parliament, a senior police officer said.

The alert has also been conveyed to all the police districts in Delhi and units concerned.

"As precautionary measures we have received an alert and have been directed to be at stand by to tackle any possible situation. It is feared that the protest groups may create a ruckus and escalate it to cause communal tensions. Delhi Police has prepared itself and necessary precautions have been put in place in advance to avoid any such untoward incident and ensure the smooth functioning of the session," the officer added.

Aiming for zero violence, Delhi Police is carrying out secret operations including mass surveillance in certain districts and a special watch is being maintained over religious installations in northeast, Shahadra and outer districts. Border areas are also being watched and vehicles passing through are thoroughly being scanned for anything suspicious, the police said.

A week ago, six men were targeted by a group of miscreants in Outer Delhi's Baba Haridasnagar and thrashed, one of them critically, over the suspicion of carrying cow meat. Four vehicles in which these men were transporting buffaloes, were vandalised. Similarly in April, three men transporting buffaloes in a truck were allegedly beaten up by vigilantes near the Kalkaji metro station in south Delhi.

Apart from this, the Kanwariya rush has also added to the reasons behind stepping up vigil. "Alerts have also been received that Kanwariya camps may be attacked. The message has been spread cross all deistricts and required measures are being put in place. Efforts and additional deployment to control the flow and movement of Kanwariyas have also been ensured," another senior officer said.

Recent incidents

July – Six men thrashed, one of them critically in outer Delhi over suspicion of carrying cow meat and their vehicles vandalised
June - A mob of more than 100 people in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district lynched a 45-year-old Muslim trader on the suspicion of carrying beef in his car
April - Three men transporting buffaloes in a truck were allegedly beaten up by vigilantes near Kalkaji metro station in south Delhi
April – 55-year-old man died after a group attacked his cattle truck on a road in Alwar, Rajasthan
June 2016 - A truck containing 22 dead cows was found on the Mathura-Delhi highway in Vrindavan, leading to tension in the area
October 2015 - A truck was attacked by petrol bombs by alleged Hindu extremists after rumours of it carrying dead cows emerged in Udhampur, Jammu

Measures - Mob surveillance

Slaughter houses and hubs under watch
Vigilance over religious installations
Tightened vigilance in border districts
Cooperation with police of neighbouring states