CHANDIGARH: Cow vigilante Monu Manesar reportedly played a crucial role in the double murder of cousin brothers, Nasir and Junaid from Rajasthan and he was in constant touch with more than 20 other accused in the case through WhatsApp, according to police.
During interrogation, it was revealed that the attack on Nasir and Junaid was pre-planned and the accused had shared their travel plan and vehicle number through a WhatsApp group, police said. Manesar is an active member of the said WhatsApp group.
WhatsApp chats show that Manesar was not just aware of the attack but also was contacted by other accused when the duo died, police said. He was in close contact with Rinku Saini, an accused who told cops that a gau rakshak had assured him not to panic even after the killing of the two. The attack on Nasir and Junaid was planned eight days before the killing. When the accused could not recover any bovine, they beat them, police said.
Manesar’s arrest has created resentment among right-wing outfits which have accused Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar of betraying them for votes. There are reports that members of Bajrang Dal in Gurugram and Nuh have started quitting citing witch-hunting.
“We never thought that that BJP would succumb to the political pressure and arrest Monu Manesar who has always promoted cow safety. This is done by CM Khattar himself. The way they are focusing on Monu Manesar and Bittu Bajrangi, they should have focused on Mewat and the cow smugglers in that region,” said Bharat Bhushan, state coordinator of Bajrang Dal, Haryana.