Day after two burnt alive in Bhiwani, 1 arrested

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, February 17

The Rajasthan Police have arrested a person and detained six others in connection with the death of two youths, who were found charred in a vehicle in Barwas village of Loharu subdivision in Bhiwani on Thursday.

The arrested accused has been identified as Ferozepur Jhirka-based ‘gau rakshak’ Rinku Saini while the identity of others is yet to be revealed. Key accused Monu Manesar is still on the run. Manesar has been pleading ignorance through his social media posts.

Two suspected cow smugglers Nasir (27) and Junaid, alias Juna (35), both residents of Ghatmeeka village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, were allegedly abducted on Wednesday and were found charred to death in a vehicle on Thursday.

The police said Junaid had been facing five cases of cow smuggling at different police stations. A probe is on to determine if the incident was a case of cow vigilantism. “Six people have been detained and are being interrogated. Those named in the FIR are associated with the Bajrang Dal, but whether they were involved in the crime or not is yet to be ascertained,” said Bharatpur range IG Gaurav Srivastava.

KEY ACCUSED MONU MANESAR

• Mohit Yadav alias, Monu Manesar (28), is a Bajrang Dal member, who started his journey as a ‘gau rakshak’ in 2011
• Polytechnic diploma holder and a landlord in Manesar, he has over 2 lakh subscribers on social media platforms — YouTube, Instagram and Twitter
• He is also a member of the civil defence team of the Manesar district administration

Lynching incidents in Haryana & Rajasthan

Jan 28, 2023: Waris (21) from Hussainpur village in Haryana’s Nuh was lynched by cow vigilantes

July 20, 2018: Rakbar Khan (31) was lynched in Rajasthan’s Alwar

April 1, 2017: Pehlu Khan and his sons were thrashed by a mob at Alwar’s Behror in Rajasthan

Nov 10, 2017: Ummar Khan and Tahir Khan were thrashed, fired at by vigilantes in Rajasthan’s Alwar

A special team of the Rajasthan Police is camping and carrying out raids across Nuh and Gurugram to nab the accused. They are also quizzing the CIA police team of Ferozepur Jhirka, whose role has come under scanner.

According to sources, it has been revealed that after abducting Nasir and Junaid, the accused had come to this police station, asking them to arrest the duo. “The CIA team was contacted after the abduction and the accused even brought the victims here but the former refused action, citing jurisdiction. It was then that they drove off with the victims,” said an investigator.

Nuh SP Varun Singla said the police were cooperating with their Rajasthan counterpart for the investigation.

VICTIMS WERE BEATEN BRUTALLY: EYEWITNESS

The driver of an ex-minister, who was working in the house opposite the Ferozepur Jhirka police station on Thursday morning, says, “Two youths who were beaten brutally were pulled out of the Bolero by a group of men. They were asking for water while some men went inside the police station. After a while, the men came back and pushed the duo back into the vehicle and fled.”

Bodies handed over to Rajasthan Police

Hisar: After conducting the autopsy at the crime spot, the bodies of the two youths, whose charred bodies were found inside a Bolero near Barwas village in Bhiwani on Thursday, were handed over to the Rajasthan Police. Bhiwani SP Ajit Singh Shekhawat said: “The bone samples have been taken for the DNA examination to establish their identities. Due to the bad condition of the bodies, it was difficult to establish injury marks.” He said the Bhiwani police had taken action under Section 174 of the CrPC and handed over the matter for further probe to the Rajasthan Police. tns

Relief, govt jobs for victims’ kin

Gurugram: The Rajasthan Government announced a compensation of Rs 20.5 lakh and a government job each to the immediate kin of Junaid and Nasir, whose charred bodies were found in a car in Bhiwani. The families refused to conduct the last rites of the victims and sought Rs 51 lakh each relief, but minister Zaheeda Khan managed to pacify them. Now, the Rajasthan Government will give them Rs 15 lakh each, while Zaheeda has promised Rs 5 lakh from her side. They will also get Rs 50,000 each from the panchayats. TNS

ACCUSED WILL BE PUNISHED: GEHLOT

The incident is unfortunate, but both Rajasthan and Haryana Police are on the job. We will ensure that the accused are punished. —Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan CM

Govt must ensure fair probe: Hooda

It’s a serious issue. The incident shows the collapsing law and order in the state. The govt should ensure a fair probe into the case. —Bhupinder Hooda, Haryana Ex-cm