Rajasthan Police free to act against Bajrang Dal member Monu Manesar, says Haryana CM

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said that the Rajasthan government was free to act against Bajrang Dal member Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar and that his administration would provide any necessary help.

“We have told the Rajasthan government that if they need help to trace him, we are ready to help,” Khattar said. “The Rajasthan Police are searching for him. We don’t have any inputs on his whereabouts. We cannot say whether they have any inputs.”

Manesar is a suspect in the murder case of two men, Nasir and Junaid, whose charred bodies were found in a car on February 16 after they were allegedly abducted by cow vigilantes from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur.

Last month, the police had filed a chargesheet against three persons – Rinku Saini, Monu Rana alias Narendra Kumar and Gogi – in connection with the case. The police have kept the investigation pending against Manesar and 26 others.

A video of Manesar is also suspected to have sparked communal tensions in Nuh and other parts of Haryana on Monday. Violence in the state earlier this week resulted in the death of six persons, including two home guards. Manesar is the head of Bajrang Dal’s cow vigilante wing in Haryana.

The violence broke out between Hindus and Muslims on Monday during the Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra, a procession organised by Hindutva outfits Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. It subsequently spread to other areas in the state such as Sohna, Gurugram, Palwal and Faridabad.

The video purportedly featuring 30-year-old Manesar appealing to his supporters to join the procession had been circulated widely on social media and was reported by news media even before the violence started. After the video came to light, Haryana police were also reportedly on alert to arrest Manesar.

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However, it was unclear if Manesar eventually made it to the procession. Manesar told PTI that he did not participate in the procession on Monday on the advice of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which feared that his presence would create tension.

According to the Hindustan Times, the police said that they are unaware of when and where Manesar shot the videos.

“Several raids have been conducted at his house in Manesar village and other possible hideouts by Rajasthan and Haryana police in the past to arrest Monu Manesar,” an unidentified senior officer from Haryana Police said. “However, he was never found at these places. He has remained underground since February when his name surfaced in the two murders. Our teams are still making efforts to nab him.”

Haryana CM seeks more central forces

Khattar on Wednesday sought four more companies of central forces in the wake of communal clashes in the state, reported PTI.

The chief minister said that 20 companies of central forces are already deployed in Haryana. Of these, 14 are in Nuh, three in Palwal, two in Gurugram and one in Faridabad.

Khattar also said it is not possible for the police to protect every person in a state and appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony.

“If there is no amity, there is no security,” the chief minister said, according to NDTV. “If everybody insists on opposing each other, there is no security. It is not possible for the police, the army or you and I to protect each and every person.”

He also asserted that those found responsible for the clashes will not be spared. “A scheme will be launched to assess the loss of properties and assets of the people in Nuh,” he said, according to ANI.