New Delhi: While a Haryana ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’ organised in support of Monu Manesar – the cow vigilante linked to the alleged killing of two Muslim men – issued threats to police against arresting him, reports have emerged that three of the accused in the case have close connections with Haryana Police.The Indian Express has reported that the ‘Mahapanchayat’ had speakers who called the investigation into the killing of Rajasthan residents Nasir and Junaid “a conspiracy against gau rakshaks.” They also issued stern warnings to Rajasthan police against arresting Manesar, a Bajrang Dal leader and leading figure in violent cow vigilantism.Manesar’s supporters blocked both carriageways of the Delhi-Gurgaon National Highway for a few minutes as reports emerged that Rajasthan police were conducting searches at Manesar’s house.Nasir and Junaid were allegedly attacked and abducted by a mob that later set them ablaze, alive, while they were inside their car after accusations of cow smuggling were made against the victims. Both men were residents of Rajasthan’s Ghatmeeka village, in Bharatpur district.Manesar has also been linked to the alleged murder of another Muslim man in the area, Waris. An Alt News deep dive had noted how Manesar was also the part of the Haryana government’s special task force which includes several other self-proclaimed cow vigilantes.The Indian Express has also reported that three of the accused in the Nasir and Junaid killing case – Rinku Saini, Lokesh Singla and Shrikant – are described as informers in at least four FIRs lodged over the past two months in the Ferozepur Jhirka and Nagina police stations in Nuh. This establishes their ties to police in Haryana.The three are recorded as having been ‘secret informers and cow vigilantes’ in the FIRs. In some cases, they themselves flagged down vehicles they suspected. The three appear to work closely with the Ferozepur Jhirka station in particular.
