Monu Manesar: The wanted Indian cow vigilante who’s at large online

Monu ManesarTwitter / Monu Manesar

A 28-year-old man is charged with being at the heart of the dangerous religious violence that erupted earlier this week in the state of Haryana in north India.

Stores and cars were set on fire in some areas of Gurugram( formerly Gurgaon ), a luxurious city on the outskirts of Delhi’s money.

As mobs of Hindu and Muslim men clashed, at least six people — including a Muslim cleric — were killed and dozens more, including several policemen, were hurt.

A religious procession by Hindu nationalist groups Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad( VHP) was pelted with gems, according to authorities, and violence broke out on Monday afternoon in the Nuh area.

However, allegations in the American media place Mohit Yadav, also known as Monu Manesar, at the heart of the Hindu-Muslim conflagration.

Residents of Nuh and various Muslim politicians claim that the fuse was lit by a Manesar video that was made public just two days prior to the procession.

Numerous Muslim locals in the area said to American press,” If the picture hadn’t come, Nuh would not have burned.”

Vehicles damaged in Nuh clash parked at Nuh bus stand, at least 50 vehicles were torched after a massive communal violence in Nuh on August 1, 2023 in Nuh, India. Five people were killed and over 50 people including policemen were injured in Haryana after clashes broke out in Nuh district Monday. The violence began after a mob of miscreants pelted stones and set cars on fire during a religious procession on Monday evening.

Getty Pictures

In his film, Manesar exhorts Hindus to” participate in big numbers” in the procession on Monday. Along with my staff and followers, I will also be present, he declared.

On the surface, what Manesar says in the picture appears to be fairly harmless. Why then is he being held accountable?

Manesar, the bus and truck driver’s boy, earns a living by renting out some of his little properties to workers. However, he has frequently made stories thanks to his social work.

Ten years after joining the conservative Hindu organization Bajrang Dal, he has advanced through the rates. He has posted images of himself brandishing weapons, including device guns, on his social media feed. Additionally, images of senior police officers and influential federal figures like Home Minister Amit Shah can be seen.

Manesar, the head of Bajrang Dal in Nuh and a member of the Haryana government’s Cow Protection Task Force, claims that his” true calling is to protect Hinduism and cows ,” an animal that many Hindus regard as sacred.

Some Muslims have been lynched in recent years on suspicion of killing or transporting cattle, and cattle murder is outlawed in several American says, including Rajasthan and Haryana.

Manesar is extremely well-liked by his followers and has several lover websites devoted to him on social media. They claim that thanks to his and his team’s initiatives, more than 50 cattle have been saved.

Manesar and his followers, however, are” cattle vigilante” who use claims of cattle smuggling as a ploy to attack and abuse Muslims without providing any supporting evidence, according to the Muslim residents of Nuh.

Manesar is adamant that he and his staff usually follow the law and cooperate with the management. ” We often work with the management, but it is our duty to protect oxen and Hinduism.” He has stated that whenever we catch cattle pirates, we turn them over to the law.

However, that claim is being contested, all the more so because over the past few years, Manesar and his followers have constantly posted pictures and videos of cars carrying pork or cattle for murder being chased and fired upon while being heckled by alleged cattle smugglers.

In a few of them, he can be seen posing with battered Arab people who have swollen, bloody encounters. Additionally, he has posted videos in which men are made to recite phrases honoring the Hindu god Ram and the” family calf.”

Manesar was also charged with kidnapping, rape, and death in February after being named as an accused in the murder of two Arab men, Junaid and Nasir. He refutes every accusation leveled against him.

Monu Manesar

Twitter / Monu Manesar

The Arab people were kidnapped in Nuh on February 15 by the Bajrang Dal’s cow protection system on suspicion of being animals traders, according to court records in the neighboring state of Rajasthan. They were cruelly attacked, and their burned bodies were discovered in a burning car in Haryana the following day.

Manasar has been running away since the murder, according to Haryana officers, and they have no idea where he is. Rajasthan authorities had gone to Haryana at the time to stop him but claimed they were unable to locate him.

However, Manesar’s fresh video frequently appear on social media and are posted on both his and his fans’ and supporters’ records.

Manesar has also given several discussions to American TV channels since the assault on Monday, in which he denies any involvement in the crime and claims that the event was no attended on the advice of VHP leaders. He insisted that” Hindus do not handle any attack on their religion or cows” and attributed the violence to some local Sunni leaders. He also took advantage of the chance to solve the murder accusations, denying to reporters that he was present when the crime was committed.

Some people have questioned why the authorities from the two states doesn’t find him and speak to him if the American media does. The Rajasthani and Haryanai officers have been contacted by the BBC, but they have not yet responded.

Manesar told a Hindi news channel on Wednesday night that he would” 101 % give himself up to the police in Haryana and Rajasthan soon” to clear his name, but the local press kept up the pressure and called for his arrest.

Manesar is not wanted in his condition, according to Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar, who also announced that his government may assist Rajasthan authorities in their search for him on Thursday morning.

However, Manesar himself has refuted Mr. Khattar’s assertion, claiming that the Haryana officers have named him in an excessive number of cases. He declared,” I am blamed even if a rat dies.”
According to police, he has also been named in various violence and violent complaints, including one from February 6 that resulted in the injuries of four people. Monu is one of the accused in the attempt to murder case, according to a police standard who then informed the Indian Express that he was” seen in movie firing his gun near the spot.”

The official had stated that” many police groups, including those from the violence branch, are trying to find him, but he is still untraceable.”

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