Monu Manesar alias Mohit Yadav, a member of the Bajrang Dal, became the centre of controversy when the Muslim assailants and their media associates attempted to use him as a scapegoat and blame him for the major violence that rocked the state on 31 July following an attack on a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession in Haryana’s Nuh district.
He, however, refuted any role in the clashes or proactive social media posts in a recent interview. He clarified that he had not been present for the procession and blamed Congress MLA from the Ferozepur Jhirka assembly constituency named Mamman Khan for the unrest. He also expressed confidence in the Rajasthan Police regarding the matter.
Notably, despite the claims as well as the allegations, it has already been established that he was not a part of the religious rally.
The Gau Rakshak stated, “Whoever is accusing me, none of the videos you must have watched contains any statement that might be construed as provocative or as an inciting factor. The violence is caused by criminals and cow smugglers. The cybercrime police station was set on fire. They are entirely to blame.”
“Nobody was triggered by my video. I skipped the procession. Our senior members attended it, but I didn’t. A renowned leader of the Vishva Hindu Parishad named Dr Surendra Jain was also fired upon. What could possibly be worse than that,” he asked.
He further continued, “Our Hindu mothers and sisters were targeted by gunfire. The Hindu community will not tolerate their victimisation and being shot at in a Muslim-dominated area like this. I am watching social media and keeping in touch with my people. Launchers and modern weapons like the AK-47 were used in the violence.”
When questioned who he held accountable for the violence, he replied, “The Muslim MLA in the region, Mamman Khan, is solely responsible. He is enticing Muslims to come forward and assuring them of his support in the fight. If you want to battle, head for the border.”
“I chose not to go because law enforcement officers told me it would cause trouble. I was absent only for that reason. I believed that the yatra should continue and prayers should be offered at our temples. I was aware that social media would be used against me if I went there. It is deeply disturbing that people are using bombs and cylinders to make threats,” he mentioned as the reason for his non-attendance at the event.
He had previously expressed his desire to attend the shobha yatra which led to multiple threats and warnings from people belonging to the Muslim community.
Monu Manesar denies involvement in clashes, blames Congress MLA for unrest.#ITVideo #MonuManesar (@nabilajamal_, @journojaykishan) pic.twitter.com/bdNsMPyEFL
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) August 2, 2023
Monu Manesar, the head of the Gau Rakshak wing of Bajrang Dal in Haryana, came in the news when he was accused of allegedly kidnapping and killing two cow smugglers named Junaid and Nasir, both residents of Ghatmeeka village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. Their bodies were found in a charred car in Loharu, Bhiwani in February of this year.
The situation continues to remain tense in Nuh, Gurugram and Sohna districts, where prohibitory orders on the mass movement of people have been issued after Hindus came under attack by rabid Muslim crowds in Nuh and then the chaos spread to different parts of the state.
