The stringent National Security Act (NSA) was invoked on Wednesday against four men who, among others, allegedly pelted stones at a police personnel who was on lockdown enforcement duty in Indore in Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
District Magistrate Manish Singh slapped the NSA on Javeed Khan (25), Saleem Khan (50), Imran Khan (24) and Sameer Anwar (22) for allegdly pelting stones at a police constable on 8 April
Two of the accused will be imprisoned in Jabalpur while other two in Satna jail, the DM's order said. Another arrested accused was identified as Nasir Khan (58).
Superintendent of Police (West) Maheshchandra Jain said the police constable asked the accused not to loiter outside when he spotted them on the streets in Chandan Nagar area of the city.
They started an altercation and hurled stones at the policeman who escaped to a safer place, the SP said.
Six persons were arrested over the incident and four of them were booked under the NSA, he said.
All of them were booked under IPC sections 147 (rioting) and 188 (disobeying order promulgated by government officer) too.
A purported video of the incident showed seven-eight rioters charging and hurling stones at the constable who is running for cover. One of the rioters is seen getting hold of a piece of wood and chasing him.
Earlier, on 1 April, two women doctors had sustained injuries in stone-pelting in Tatapatti Bakhal area of the city. They were part of a five-member Health Department team conducting screening for coronavirus patients.
The authorities had invoked the NSA against four accused in that case too.
Indore has reported 173 coronavirus cases so far, including 16 cases of death due to COVID-19.
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