Monu Manesar also known as Mohit Yadav, a prominent face of cow vigilantism in Haryana has been named in the complaint filed by the family members of Nasir and Junaid whose charred bodies were found in Haryana’s Bhiwani on Thursday.
Source- Outlook India
In the complaint, Waris’s family had alleged that he had died from injuries sustained when he was beaten up by cow vigilantes led by Monu, a Bajrang Dal member and the face of the cow protection task force of the Haryana government in Gurgaon who had been chasing his vehicle on the suspicion of smuggling cattle.
A member of the Bajrang Dal, 30-year-old Monu in a video message denied his involvement in the case and claimed he was at a hotel at the time of the incident. He also shared CCTV footage from the hotel on social media.
It was around 5 am on January 28 that a Santro car with Waris, Shokeen and Nafis reportedly crashed into a tempo in Haryana’s Tauru. Nuh police had said the three injured occupants were taken to the community health center in Tauru.
On Friday, MP and Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted: “Haryana is now being made a ‘hate factory’. The heart-wrenching tragic and painful incident of two brothers being abducted and burnt alive by the people of Bajrang Dal has shaken the soul of India. There are cases of violence against Monu Manesar earlier also. It is clear that this is happening under the patronage of the government.”
Source- Indian Express
He joined the Bajrang Dal as a co-coordinator in his home district Manesar in 2011 and was a member of the district cow protection task force formed by authorities after Haryana’s cow protection law came into force in December 2015. He is now among the five accused in the case in which the charred bodies of two Muslim men from Rajasthan were found in a car in Haryana’s Bhiwani after they were allegedly abducted by cow vigilantes.
Monu Manesar has 83,000 followers on Facebook and 2,05,000 subscribers on YouTube. The videos on his YouTube channels are mostly on how the cow vigilante group catches cow smugglers. These videos, mostly live streams, have thousands of views and comments.
Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal meanwhile held a press conference in Gurgaon. Pawan Kumar, state president, VHP Haryana, said that Monu and gau rakshaks were being falsely framed. Terming it as a conspiracy to target cow vigilantes, Kumar said, “There should be a thorough forensic probe by the police. Merely on the basis of statements of a relative of victims and without any investigation, the names of Bajrang Dal members have been added to the FIR.
Following the complaint of Mubin Khan, an FIR was registered under Section 307 (attempt to murder) against Monu and others at the Pataudi police station.
