Monu Manesar, alias Mohit Yadav, is a member of the Bajrang Dal who was booked for the abduction and murder of two Muslim men in Haryana’s Bhiwani in February. 21 others had been booked in the same case.
Monu Manesar is now at the centre of the Nuh communal violence that erupted on Monday during a religious procession. According to the police, rumors that Manesar would be participating in the religious procession organized by the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad caused the Nuh violence to break out. On Sunday, a video showing him was shared online, although he is at large.
Three persons including two Home Guards personnel were shot dead by a violent mob in Nuh, Haryana, on Monday. 20 others were injured in clashes that broke out later between two groups. According to the police, a mob attempted to block the religious procession by throwing stones and setting cars on fire. The Home Guards were shot dead in the melee. The mob flung stones and set fire to automobiles, injuring seven police officers. To disperse the gathering, the police had to fire tear gas canisters and rounds into the air.
Manesar is a polytechnic diploma holder and joined the Bajrang Dal in his second year of college. He is the leader of the Bajrang Dal’s cow vigilante branch in Haryana. Manesar has denied being involved in the murders in Bhiwani. The death of two cousins, Junaid and Nasir, whose burned bodies were discovered inside a four-wheeler in the Bhiwani area, is connected to the case. Their family claimed that Bajrang Dal members kidnapped and killed them. The group has refuted the accusations.
Manesar has been seen with bureaucrats and police officers in pictures that have appeared online. He had previously surfaced on YouTube, where videos depicted how the cow vigilante gang apprehended cow smugglers.
Manesar obtained a silver play button from YouTube in October 2022 for reaching 100,000 followers on his channel. The channel has been blocked now.