BAJRANG DAL member and self-proclaimed cow vigilante Mohit Yadav, also known as Monu Manesarwas arrested by Haryana Police on Tuesday for allegedly uploading “objectionable and inflammatory” posts under a fictitious name on social media.
Hours later, he was handed over to Rajasthan Police, which had been looking for him for the past several months in connection with the murder of two men in February this year.
Monu was arrested from a premise in Manesar Sector 1 by a joint team of Cyber Crime Police Station, Nuh, and Crime Branch.
Confirming that he was handed over to the Rajasthan Police, the Nuh police said in a statement: “Deeg police has taken Mohit alias Monu Manesar on criminal remand from the court. Further action will be taken by DIG (Rajasthan) Police.”
“We have taken custody, he is being brought from Nuh (in Haryana) to Bharatpur,” a Rajasthan Police officer said.
The arrest comes more than a month after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accused the Haryana government of “non-cooperation” in the murder case of Junaid, 35, and Nasir, 27, in February.
Monu is among the 21 accused in the murder case, according to an FIR registered by the Rajasthan Police.
The charred bodies of Junaid and Nasir, two cousins who hailed from Ghatmeeka village in Rajasthan, were found in a vehicle in Haryana’s Bhiwani on February 16. It was alleged that they were beaten up and set on fire by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes who suspected that they were involved in cattle smuggling.
While the Rajasthan police had been looking for Monu after his name surfaced in their murder probe, the Haryana Police arrested him on Tuesday in an unrelated case.
According to sources, after the violence that unfolded in Nuh and parts of Gurgaon on July 31 during a religious procession, the police had been scanning social media posts for “objectionable content”.
“Nuh police had been regularly scanning social media posts for objectionable content. In one such case, a person was found putting up a series of objectionable posts. Tracing those posts, raids were conducted at certain locations and the person was apprehended. He was found to be Monu Manesar who was using a fictitious name to upload objectionable posts,” a source said.
The social media post, the police said, was made on August 26, two days ahead of another religious procession that was planned.
Giving details of the arrest, the source said, “The police initially did not know the person’s credentials when they raided the place. However, the moment they entered the premises they found he was Monu Manesar. He was also using the word ‘Manesar’ on the handle that he was using to upload the objectionable content, but was not using his real name.”
In the FIR filed against him, Monu has been accused of promoting enmity between different groups, deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.
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The complaint was filed by Constable Manoj Kumar from the social media cell in Nuh, who stated that he found the inflammatory post on Facebook. During the investigation, data related to the Facebook account was seized, the police said. The probe led to a mobile number that was associated with the Facebook ID, which was traced to its registered user, Mohit, son of Omprakash.
“Subsequently, the accused, Mohit, alias Monu Manesar, was arrested. During the search, a mobile phone was recovered, which was used in the alleged offence… Further search of the accused led to the recovery of a .45 calibre pistol… The pistol had three live rounds,” the application before the court stated.
Monu’s name also cropped up in connection with the Nuh violence on July 31, with his social media posts – vowing to be part of the religious procession led by the VHP and Bajrang Dal in the area – allegedly inciting violence.
First published on: 12-09-2023 at 1:32 PM IST
