Monu Manesar’s arrest by the Haryana Police on Tuesday has led the Bajrang Dal, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other cow vigilante groups to express their “anger and disappointment” with the BJP. They are accusing the party of “failing to protect” the murder-accused.
Monu or Mohit Yadav, was arrested by the Haryana police from Gurugram’s Manesar on Tuesday evening, in connection with allegedly making inflammatory posts on 26 August, ahead of a yatra scheduled on 28 August. Following the arrest, the Haryana police handed over Monu’s custody to Rajasthan police, which is investigating his role in the Junaid-Nasir murder case, where he is named as an accused.
However, following Monu’s arrest, self-proclaimed cow vigilantes and Bajrang Dal members have been expressing their support for the accused, along with 'disappointment’ with the BJP.
'Monu Arrested for Muslim Vote Bank': VHP
VHP working president Alok Kumar accused the Rajasthan government of trying to appeal to the “Muslim vote bank” ahead of the Rajasthan elections, by arresting Monu.
“Monu has been arrested for the Muslim vote bank in the elections, which will cost them (Rajasthan Government) a lot. Vishwa Hindu Parishad will help Monu Manesar in every way possible, and will also protest if necessary," the VHP posted on X, attributing the statement to Kumar.
'Monu Was Doing Govt and Police's Job': Bajrang Dal Members
Besides that, several Bajrang Dal activists defended Monu saying he was doing “the government’s job.”
“He was part of the Gurugram cow protection task force, and was working to protect cows in an official authority. I am also part of that task force, and together we have saved several hundred cows from getting smuggled. We were basically doing the government and police’s job for them. And now they threw us under the bus,” Abhishek Gaur, Bajrang Dal’s Haryana state secretary, told The Quint.
Gaur can be seen accompanying Monu in many ‘cow protection’ outings, as per videos shared on his Instagram. The Quint had earlier reported how Monu was part of a state cow protection task force, notified by the Haryana government.
“The Rajasthan Congress government is obviously out to get Monu. But the BJP in Haryana knows we are working for cow protection. We are disappointed they let him get arrested,” Gaur added.
“After he was named in all the cases, he had been maintaining a relatively low profile. So we had to go on our missions by ourselves and I can tell you it’s not easy without him. He would protect cows against smugglers with ease,” Gaur further said.
Other members of the Bajrang Dal too expressed their anger over the arrest.
Akash Prajapati, who goes by the title ‘Baba’, and is the Bajrang Dal’s Faridabad unit head, said that “Monu’s contribution towards cow protection has been unquantifiable.”
Sagar Bhalia, another cow vigilante, and a close associate of Monu, agreed. “There is growing anger among the Bajrang Dal workers over this, we have no idea why the government would do this. Monu has been a loyal and obedient worker, protecting cows and helping society,” Sagar told The Quint.
Right-Wing Social Media Flooded With Support for Monu
Meanwhile, social media handles of cow vigilantes and rightwing groups were flooded with support for Monu.
Right-wing youtuber Ayushi Bisht with nearly six lakh followers on Instagram posted a video hours after Monu’s arrest saying, “Hindu tumhari chuppi hi logo ki himmat ban rahi hai, isliye atyachar bhi sirf hinduon par aur giraftari bhi sirf hinduoun ki (Hindus, your silence is becoming their strength, this is why it is Hindus who are being oppressed and Hindus who are being arrested too,” she said in the video.
Several other accounts shared 'I support Monu Manesar' posts.
Monu Manesar is named as a suspect in the Junaid-Nasir murder case from earlier this year. The Quint had reported how his name made it to the Rajasthan police chargesheet as well. Then, Monu's name surfaced again in the violence that took place in Nuh on 31 July.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)