‘Influential’ vigilantes ordered burning of Nasir-Junaid bodies

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, October 11

The immolation of two suspected cattle smugglers Nasir and Junaid by cow vigilantes in Bhiwani was a well-thought-out strategy to destroy forensic evidence and weaken the case in court. As the eight men involved in the abduction and brutal thrashing of the duo in February developed cold feet after the victims succumbed to their injuries, “influential” and “senior” vigilantes advised them to burn the bodies.

The revelation has been made by Anil Multhan, a cow vigilante currently in the custody of the Deeg unit of the Rajasthan Police. Police officials revealed that the key accused were in touch with the vigilantes — many named as conspirators in the chargesheet — over phone and WhatsApp after the CIA unit of Ferozepur Jhirka refused to arrest Nasir and Junaid, and turned them away.

“They burnt the bodies after much deliberations with some of the most celebrated faces of vigilantism. They had not anticipated the consequences of the thrashing and panicked. They could see both dying, and that is when they contacted the vigilantes of Haryana for guidance. They decided to burn the bodies to ensure that no forensic evidence was left. We are probing the extent of the role of these vigilantes,” said a senior investigator.

With elections round the corner in Rajasthan, the Nasir-Junaid murder case and the failure of the police to nab the accused is expected to become a major issue in the Mewat region comprising districts like Alwar, Deeg and Bharatpur. Residents have already started protesting the handing over of Monu Manesar to the Haryana Police.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Police are on the lookout for the other accused. According to sources, they will soon be handing out a list of vigilantes wanted in the case to the Haryana Police.