Rajasthan Director-General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra revealed on Monday that Monu Manesar, a cow vigilante and the prime accused in the Nasir-Junaid murder case, is not directly involved in the incident. The DGP clarified that Monu Manesar’s role in the case is being probed from a background perspective and that he was not present at the scene of the double murder. This disclosure comes as Monu Manesar and his associates allegedly released videos on social media that are believed to have triggered recent communal violence in Haryana’s Nuh district and other areas.
During an interaction with journalists, Mr. Mishra emphasized that the investigation is centered on whether Monu Manesar played an “indirect role” in the murder case. The incident, which occurred in February of this year, involved the alleged abduction and killing of two men, Nasir (25) and Junaid (35), residents of Ghatmika village in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district. The crime was reportedly committed by cow vigilantes associated with the Bajrang Dal in neighboring Haryana. The victims’ charred bodies were discovered inside a burnt vehicle near Loharu town in Haryana’s Bhiwani district.
Mr. Mishra noted that Rajasthan police teams have visited Nuh to investigate the matter and have sought assistance from the Haryana police. He highlighted the importance of actionable intelligence in apprehending Monu Manesar, while refraining from commenting on the extent of cooperation between the police forces of the two states.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recently accused his Haryana counterpart, Manohar Lal, of deflecting attention from his failure to prevent communal violence in Nuh. Gehlot’s accusation was in response to Lal’s claim that the Rajasthan police had the freedom to take action against cow vigilantes.
As the investigation continues and the complexities of the case unfold, the role of Monu Manesar and the alleged trigger for communal violence remain subjects of scrutiny. The police’s efforts to establish the extent of involvement of various parties in the crime highlight the challenges of addressing and preventing such incidents while ensuring justice and maintaining public order.
