Haryana resident Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar, who is evading arrest in the murder case of two Muslim men in Rajasthan, has emerged as the face of the cow protection task force of the Haryana government in Gurgaon in the past few years, courtesy his social media presence.
Monu, along with five others, has been named in an FIR filed by a relative of the deceased alleging that the Bajrang Dal members kidnapped and burnt them alive. Nasir (25) and Junaid alias Juna (35), both residents of Ghatmeeka village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, were allegedly abducted last Wednesday and their bodies were found inside a burnt car in Loharu in Haryana’s Bhiwani the next morning.
Monu was named in another police complaint in Haryana’s Nuh in connection with a murder case of 22-year-old Waris Khan. However, police did not convert the complaint into an FIR, saying Khan succumbed to the injuries that he sustained in an accident, The Indian Express reported.
Waris Khan’s family, in the complaint, alleged that he was beaten by cow vigilantes led by Monu who was chasing the vehicle on the suspicion of cattle smuggling. Monu, however, denied the allegations and called it an “accident”. He said he had recorded a video of the accident, and handed over the accused to the police.
Who is Monu Manesar?
Monu, 28, joined right-wing fringe organisation Bajrang Dal as a co-ordinator from Manesar in 2011. He became a member of the district cow protection task force after the cow protection law (Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act) came into force in 2015. The Act against cow slaughter in Haryana attracts rigorous imprisonment ranging from 3-10 years.
A resident of Manesar, Monu holds a diploma from a polytechnic college and describes himself as a “gau rakshak” (cow protector).
“I grew up around cows. Meri aasthaa hai gau maata se aur mera dharm hai inki raksha karna. [It is a matter of faith for me and it is my duty to protect the holy cow]. After witnessing atrocities against cows, I vowed to rescue them and to stop illegal cattle smuggling, which is rampant in places like Mewat [Nuh] and nearby districts,” he told The Indian Express.
He earns his living by sub-letting rooms to labourers in Manesar.
Monu runs a YT page named Monu Manesar Bajrang Dal
Monu also runs a YouTube page named ‘Monu Manesar Bajrang Dal’ and has over two lakh subscribers. He along with his team often posts videos of high-speed chases of suspected cattle smugglers as well as images of the detained suspects and the “rescued” cattle on the YouTube page and other social media platforms.
He has 83,000 followers on Facebook and had also received a silver play button from YouTube in October last year as the number of subscribers crossed one lakh.
Earlier, Monu also organised a panchayat at a temple in Manesar calling for “economic boycott of Muslim shopkeepers and vendors” in the area.