Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Tuesday said he has asked the state police to maintain strict vigil and seal borders to ensure there is no transportation of cattle from neighbouring states and also no attack on `gau rakshaks` (cow vigilantes). The speaker also said he has asked the police to set up squads to visit and patrol sensitive areas.

Narwekar said he had a meeting with the additional director general of police (law and order) and the Nanded superintendent of police over the “fear” among institutions and NGOs that there could be “mass gau-vansh hatya” (bovine killing) during the upcoming period of Bakr-Eid. “So, precautionary measures should be taken also with regards to the violence that had erupted in Nanded and other places,” he said.