NEW DELHI: On Tuesday( Sept 12 ), Indian authorities detained the head of a vigilante group tasked with defending cows after he was charged with inciting dangerous religious riots close to New Delhi in July.
Monu Manesar is a suspect in the mob lynching in February of two Arab men who are accused of cattle trafficking. He is the book leader of the extreme Hindu right-wing group Bajrang Dal.
Hindus revere cattle as divine, and some Indian states forbid killing them.
After being linked to the killings by authorities, Manesar remained completely and kept posting inflammatory anti-Muslim content frequently on Facebook and Instagram.
In July, he made plans to attend a Hindu march in Nuh, an area that is mostly Muslim close to the capital.
The ensuing agitation, which lasted for days and spread to Delhi’s outskirts, resulted in the deaths of at least six people and the injuries of dozens more.
Shubhjeet Singh, a city police officer in Nuh, confirmed Manesar’s arrest on suspicion of disseminating anti-social multimedia content.
Manesar will be turned over to authorities in Rajasthan state, where he has been charged with the double homicide in February, according to Singh.
In the end, Manesar chose not to participate in the July parade in Nuh, which included burning cars and throwing stones at spectators.
The crime quickly spread to nearby Gurugram, a significant commercial hub and dish of Delhi where the American headquarters of multinational corporations Nokia, Samsung, and others are located.
A gang of about 200 people in one neighborhood set fire to a restaurant and looted some Muslim-owned meat shops while chanting Indian spiritual phrases. They were armed with sticks and stones.
Manesar frequently shared video of attacks on Muslims who were allegedly killing or transporting cows.
Since Hindu patriotic Prime Minister Narendra Modi took department in 2014, India has experienced several epidemics of sectarian violence between the majority Hindus and its 200 million-strong Muslim majority.
Critics have charged that his administration ignores vigilant campaigns against Muslims that are being waged in the name of protecting cows and lynching men who are suspected of participating in cattle killing.