GURUGRAM: Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar, who is evading arrest in connection with the murder of two men in Rajasthan, has become a prominent face of cow vigilantism in Haryana during the past five years – helped by his presence on social media . Monu, 30, a member of the Bajrang Dal, in a video message denied his involvement in the case and claimed that he was at a hotel at the time of the incident. He also shared the CCTV footage of the hotel on social media. He joined the Bajrang Dal in his home district of Manesar as a co-coordinator in 2011 and was a member of the District Cow Protection Task Force formed by the authorities in December 2015 following the enactment of Haryana’s Cow Protection Act. The Bajrang Dal and often stir controversy over the actions of their own cow protection group and share videos of them chasing, confronting and apprehending alleged cow smugglers. The videos, mostly live streams, have thousands of views and comments.
He has over 83,000 subscribers on Facebook and over 2 lakh subscribers on YouTube. He received a silver play button from YouTube in October last year as the number of subscribers crossed one lakh.
Under the Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausvardhan Act enacted in 2015, the punishment for cow slaughter in Haryana ranges from three years to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. After this law, many cow protection groups including the already existing cow protectors became actively active. There have been allegations that cow protection groups are targeting a particular community and doing arbitrariness. AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has alleged that the BJP government is protecting such cow protectors.
However, Monu has claimed that he has been receiving death threats from suspected smugglers. The Haryana Police had registered two FIRs on their complaints last month. Just days earlier, the family of 22-year-old Waris had accused cow vigilantes, including Monu, of lynching him in Haryana’s Nuh district as a cow smuggler, though police said he died in a road accident Was .
Police said that a Santro car carrying Waris and two others, Shaukeen and Nafees, rammed into a tempo near Khori Kalan village on the Toru-Bhiwadi road on Saturday. Monu had claimed that he rescued a cow from the car and took the injured to the hospital.
He had said, ‘I went live on Facebook and also asked the name of one of the injured, but we did not hurt any of them.’ He is now among the five accused in the case in which 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.
Naseer (25) and Junaid alias Juna (35), residents of Ghatmika village in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district, were allegedly abducted on Wednesday and their bodies were found in a burnt car at Loharu in Haryana’s Bhiwani on Thursday morning Were. However, Monu Manesar had declared himself innocent in this matter.
He had said in his video message, “My colleagues and I have no role, but the Rajasthan Police has registered a case against me and my group members. I don’t even know the deceased.”
Rajasthan Police has started looking for him.
The Gurugram police in Haryana also conducted raids to nab him in connection with a case of attempt to murder that was registered against him at Pataudi police station on February 7, officials said.
According to the police, there was a dispute between two groups in Pataudi’s Baba Shah Mohalla when Monu Manesar was present there with his team. Mubeen Khan, a resident of the same locality, lodged a complaint, stating that his son Mohin was shot during the firing between the two groups and he was injured by the bullet.
Following Mubeen Khan’s complaint, an FIR was registered against Monu and others under section 307 (attempt to murder) at the Pataudi police station. Manesar Deputy Commissioner of Police Manbir Singh said, “Monu Manesar is wanted in a case of attempt to murder and we are also conducting raids to nab him.” Monu had enrolled in a polytechnic after completing his 12th standard.