Nuh violence: Who is gau rakshak Monu Manesar at the centre of communal clashes?

“Today’s incident is unfortunate. I appeal to all the people to maintain peace in the state. The guilty will not be spared at any cost, and strictest action will be taken against them.”

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has urged for peace and calm in the state after communal violence broke out on Monday in Nuh district, resulting in the death of three people, several others being injured, and public property being destroyed.

In the wake of the violence, all schools and colleges in Gurugram and Faridabad have been ordered to remain closed on Tuesday, 1 August. Moreover, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been imposed in Gurugram and Nuh.

What was the reason behind the violence? Who is Monu Manesar who has been linked to the clashes? What role did he play? We dig deeper and get you all the answers.

What happened on Monday?

As per the police, on Monday, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) was taking out a procession – Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra – in Nuh when an angry mob attacked it and started pelting stones at the people in the march. The yatra was flagged off from Gurugram’s Civil Lines by BJP district president Gargi Kakkar.

What ensued was chaos and unprecedented violence. Refusing to back down, the people in the procession retaliated and soon a religious clash broke out. As per a PTI report, several vehicles, including police cars, were set on fire.

Some trying to flee the violence sought refuge at a Shiva temple in Nuh and later it was reported that the police evacuated at least 2,500 people, including women and children, from the religious site.

The clash also witnessed gun violence in which three people, including two Home Guards were killed. Gurugram Police Commissioner Kala Ramachandran later told the media that two Home Guards, attached with her district, were killed in the violence in adjoining Nuh. About 10 police personnel injured in Nuh violence, the official said.

Another police officer said Home Guard Neeraj died due to a gunshot wound. The other killed in the violence was identified as Gursevak. Eight of the injured police personnel were taken to Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital, the official said. Among the injured, Hodal Deputy Superintendent of Police Sajjan Singh was shot in the head and an inspector in the stomach, he said.

The situation led to more security forces being deployed in the area and for the administration to impose Section 144 of the CrPC. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the citizens should cooperate in the interest of the state by following the principle of “Haryana Ek Haryanvi Ek”, asserting that all issues can be resolved through dialogue.

He further added that the kind of situation that had arisen in Nuh, the responsibility of every common citizen towards the society increases further.

Who is Monu Manesar and what role did he play?

According to the authorities, the trigger behind the violence was a rumour that Bajrang Dal member and cow vigilante Monu Manesar would also be a part of the procession.

For the unknown, Monu Manesar, whose real name is Mohit Yadav, describes himself as a ‘gau rakshak’ and social activist. He joined Bajrang Dal as a district co-coordinator from Manesar in 2011 and earns a living by sub-letting rooms to labourers in the Manesar area.

Earlier in February, speaking to Indian Express, he had said: “I grew up around cows. Meri aasthaa hai gau maata se aur mera dharm hai inki raksha karna. (It is a matter of faith for me and it is my duty to protect the holy cow). After witnessing atrocities against cows, I vowed to rescue them and to stop illegal cattle smuggling, which is rampant in places like Mewat (Nuh) and nearby districts.”

In the same month, he was also made the head of the district’s cow protection force and also a member of the civil defence team of the district administration in Manesar. In addition to this, he also runs a YouTube page ‘Monu Manesar Bajrang Dal’, which has over two lakh subscribers.

He grabbed headlines across the country in February when he was named as the prime accused in in the abduction and murder of two Muslim men – Junaid and Nasir – whose remains were found inside a charred vehicle in Haryana’s Bhiwani district. Manesar has refuted the claims, saying the allegations against him were baseless.

He’s also been named in another police complaint in Haryana’s Nuh in connection with a murder case of 22-year-old Waris Khan.

Prior to this, in November 2021, according to a report in The Wire, Manesar had issued violent threats against Muslims in the form of slogans at Gurugram’s Sector 12. “Hindu ke gaddaaron ko, Goli maaro saalon ko (Shoot the traitors of Hinduism)”.

While Manesar maintains that his vigilantism has never amounted to violence, several social media photos and news reports show otherwise. Early pictures of his vigilantism on social media show members of his group grabbing the accused person’s hair. There are also other images of purported cow smugglers having swollen and bloody faces.

Manesar told news agency PTI on Monday that he didn’t participate in the rally on the advice of the VHP, fearing his presence would create tensions.

What next?

While the police maintain that the situation has been brought under control for now, the Haryana administration has sought 20 companies of the Rapid Action Force from the Centre for a week to maintain the law and order situation in Nuh district.

In a communication to the Union home secretary, Haryana’s additional chief secretary (Home), T V S N Prasad, sought 20 companies of the RAF “urgently” for one week from 31 July.

“I am directed to address you on the subject (seeking 20 companies of RAF)… incidents causing intense communal tension, annoyance, obstruction and injury to persons, danger to human life and property, disturbance to public peace and tranquility in district Nuh have occurred on account of violent protests by agitators, protesters, miscreants and anti-social elements,” wrote Prasad.

Moreover, internet services have been suspended in the area in order to quell the spread of misinformation. News18 has also reported that a peace committee meeting has been called by the administration at 11.30 am.

With inputs from agencies