Police probing role of gau rakshak and Bajrang Dal member Monu Manesar in Haryana communal clashes, says DGP

Sudarshan News Editor-in-Chief Suresh Chavhanke and Bajrang Dal member Monu Manesar. Photo: Monu Manesar/ Twitter

Haryana police chief on Wednesday said that police is probing the role of Bajrang Dal member and cow vigilante Monu Panesar in the state communal clashes that have left six dead and scores injured.

State police chief P K Agrawal said that a special investigation team (SIT) will be formed to investigate the cases of communal violence in Haryana and the role of Bajrang Dal member Monu Manesar. Manesar was booked in connection with the killing of two Muslim men in Bhiwani in February this year.

So far, six people, including two home guards and a cleric, have died in the clashes that erupted in Nuh over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession and spread to Gurugram over the past two days.

As news of the violence in Muslim-dominated Nuh spread, mobs in Sohna set ablaze four vehicles and a shop, apparently belonging to people from that community. Mobs attacked a mosque in Gurugram and killed its cleric, torched an eatery and vandalised shops in Gurugram.

Addressing a press conference in Gurugram on Wednesday, the DGP said the situation in the state was under control and curfew has been relaxed for a brief period in Nuh.

Gurugram is completely safe and there is no report of any violence. Senior officers have been deployed in Nuh and the police force has been directed to strictly deal with anybody violating orders of the administration, he said.

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A special investigation team will be formed to probe all cases of violence. If there was any conspiracy, it will also be investigated and the guilty will not be spared. The role of Bajrang Dal's Monu Manesar is also being investigated, Agrawal said.

He told reporters that four people have been arrested for allegedly killing the cleric of a mosque in Gurugram.

A total 41 of FIRs have been registered in Nuh and 116 suspects arrested. More than 100 suspects have been detained for questioning, the Haryana DGP said.

Two of our home guards were killed in the violence in Nuh. Financial aid will be provided to their families, he added.

Who is Monu Manesar?

Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar is the head of the cow vigilante wing of Bajrang Dal in Haryana. Manesar has refuted his involvement in the Bhiwani killings. The case is linked to the death of two cousins Junaid and Nasir, whose charred bodies were found inside a four-wheeler in Bhiwani district. Their families had alleged that they were abducted and murdered by Bajrang Dal members. The outfit has denied the charges.

An influential personality, Manesar's photos with police officials and bureaucrats have surfaced in the past. His YouTube channel had also surfaced in the past, showing how the cow vigilante group catches cow smugglers. (With inputs from PTI)