Bajrang Dal member and cow vigilante Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar was arrested by the Haryana Police on Tuesday for uploading “objectionable and inflammatory” posts under a fictitious name on social media. He was sent to 14 days in judicial custody by a Nuh court.
Manesar was booked by Rajasthan Police for the murder of two Muslim men in February and accused by some of inciting the recent violence in Nuh. A video clip purportedly showed plainclothesmen taking Manesar, whose original name is Mohit Yadav, into custody. Mamta Singh, ADGP (Law and Order), Haryana Police, said that “Monu Manesar was arrested by the Nuh police on Tuesday after the later's social media team found evidence against Manesar for posting a fresh video related to the 'Shobha Yatra' organised on August 28 in Nuh. A case under relevant sections of the IT Act was registered against him earlier in August”.
Manesar is an accused in the murder of two Muslim men in February. The two men, Nasir (25) and Junaid (35), were allegedly abducted by cow vigilantes from Bharatpur in Rajasthan and were later found dead in a burnt car in Haryana's Bhiwani district. Based on this evidence, Mansar was apprehended, and a search of his person led to the discovery of a .45 caliber pistol and three live cartridges concealed in his pants.
Following his arrest by the Haryana Police, an appeal for 14-day judicial custody was filed at Nuh Court. Subsequently, the Nuh Court granted request, sending Monu Mansar to judicial custody for 14 days.
The Rajasthan Police then sought custody of arrested cow vigilante. The Nuh court then gave the transit remand of Monu Manesar to Rajasthan Police According to sources, “After the violence on July 31, Nuh police had been regularly scanning social media posts for objectionable content.
In one such case, a person was found putting up a series of objectionable posts. Tracing those posts, raids were conducted at certain locations and the person was apprehended. He was found to be Manesar who was using a fictitious name to upload objectionable posts”.
A video clip that surfaced online before the July 31 violence had Manesar (30)saying he would participate in the Brij Mandal Jalabhishek procession and asked people to join the yatra.
Earlier on August 28, more than 50 people from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and other Hindu organisations were taken to different temples in Nuh, including Shiva temple in Nalhad, Firozpur Jhirka's Jhir temple and Shringaar temple in Punhana under heavy police security.
All these people were taken to the temple in three police buses.
Communal violence broke out in Nuh on July 31 after a mob attacked a procession of the VHP leaving six dead and several others injured. Amid the chaos more than 20 policemen were also injured.
Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the clashes that erupted in Nuh after a procession of the VHP was attacked by a mob on July 31 and spread to adjoining areas, including Sohna and Badshahpur in Gurugram. For days Nuh and adjoining districts were on edge as authorities clamped prohibitory orders and imposed restrictions on mobile internet. He was booked in February for the murder from Rajasthan.
Asked about the video days later, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said, “I have seen that video, nowhere is he instigating people to riot... He is asking people to join the yatra.”
Earlier, on February 16, Manesar was named in a FIR lodged by Rajasthan Police after two men, Nasir (25) and Junaid (35), were found dead in a burnt car in Loharu in Haryana's Bhiwani. The men from Rajasthan's Bharatpur district were allegedly abducted by cow vigilantes who then crossed the state border into Haryana.
Rajasthan Police said last month that Manesar's role in hatching a conspiracy and abetting the crime was “under active investigation”. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had also told reporters that his government would provide any assistance Rajasthan Police required to nab Manesar.
On Tuesday, Haryana VHP office bearer Varun Sharma claimed there is no case against Manesar. “Bajrang Dal workers are being harassed for no reason. We condemn this,” he said.