6 min readGurgaonFeb 18, 2023 09:45 AM IST
First published on: Feb 18, 2023 at 04:10 AM IST
LESS THAN three weeks before Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar was named in an FIR filed in connection with the death of two men from Rajasthan, whose charred bodies were found inside a burnt vehicle in Bhiwani on Thursday, his name had figured in another police complaint — also a murder case — in Haryana’s Nuh. Police, however, did not convert the complaint into an FIR, reasoning that the victim, Waris Khan (22), had died of injuries sustained in an accident.
In the complaint, Waris’s family had alleged that he had died from injuries sustained when he was beaten up by cow vigilantes led by Monu — a Bajrang Dal member and the face of the cow protection task force of the Haryana government in Gurgaon — who had been chasing his vehicle on the suspicion of smuggling cattle.
It was around 5 am on January 28 that a Santro car with Waris, Shokeen and Nafis reportedly crashed into a tempo in Haryana’s Tauru. Nuh police had said the three injured occupants were taken to the community health centre in Tauru.
Waris and Nafis were then referred to the government medical college in Nalhar, where the former died during treatment, police said. Police had also booked the three men, including Waris, under several IPC sections as well as sections of the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act.
Based on the family’s complaint, a daily diary register entry against Monu and his associates was recorded at Sadar Tauru police station, but no FIR was registered.
The medical board’s autopsy report cited “severe internal bleeding in the abdominal cavity due to rupture of liver due to blunt force injury” as the cause of Waris’s death. According to the medico-legal report from the CHC in Tauru, Waris was brought to the centre at 7.40 am on January 28 with an injury on the left side of his chin and severe abdominal pain.
A Facebook live on Monu’s page, which was later deleted, purportedly captured scenes minutes after the car crash. It showed cow vigilantes questioning Waris and the other two men, seen sitting in a car, about their names and villages. In another video, Bajrang Dal members, one of whom is armed with a gun, were seen purportedly posing next to the three men in front of their damaged Santro car.
Waris’s elder brother, Imran, told The Indian Express, “In the video, it is clear that he has no serious or visible injuries. Waris seemed afraid as the cow vigilantes asked him his name and village. He is answering normally. How did he later succumb to internal injuries from the accident? The incident took place around 5.30 am. They were taken to the CHC in Tauru – a distance of 15 minutes from the accident spot – at 7.40 am. We asked the police to probe what happened in those two hours.”
He alleged: “Bajrang Dal members kidnapped my brother and his associates and took them to several locations and brutally assaulted them. They recorded videos and posted them on social media. If they were not seriously injured in the accident and were in fact involved in cattle smuggling, why did the police not arrest them immediately. We have written to all senior police officers in Haryana asking for a probe to look into these questions, but the police are shielding the cow vigilantes and no action has been taken on our complaint. Instead, the police have registered a false FIR of cattle smuggling against my brother and his two associates.”
He added: “Had there been a probe into the circumstances leading to my brother’s death followed by action against the perpetrators, this incident (in Bhiwani) may not have happened. We will now move court for an investigation.”
Imran told The Indian Express that at around 6 am that day, a villager saw the Facebook live video of Waris being questioned by Bajrang Dal members and informed the family. “Two hours later, we heard that he had been taken to Tauru for treatment. We could not find him. For 3-4 hours, we tried looking for him. At 10 am, we heard that he was taken to Nalhar for treatment. When I reached there, he had died of injuries,” he said.
Waris’s cousin, Shahid, said the victim was a car mechanic and had tagged along with his two associates, who were going to Bhiwadi to purchase a second-hand car. Shahid claimed he had been told by one of the injured men that Bajrang Dal members had caused their car to crash.
Nuh SP Varun Singla, when asked about the family’s allegations, said: “In the case, the post-mortem was conducted by a medical board. The findings of the post-mortem report are consistent with the probe that he died of internal injuries sustained in the accident. There were no visible injuries on the chest or body. We also looked at the purported videos of the incident and conducted an enquiry to probe the family’s allegations that the car occupants were taken to a deserted area by cow vigilantes and beaten up and brought back to the same place, and then the police was informed. As per our probe, this is not possible. In the CCTV footage, it can be seen that the accident happened at high speed and the car was badly damaged. Since he was in the driving seat, he suffered an injury during the collision and later succumbed to injuries from the accident. There was no evidence to suggest that he was physically assaulted and no substantial evidence to register an FIR regarding the allegations of murder.”
When contacted, Monu had told The Indian Express on January 29: “The allegations against us are false. It was an accident case. We received information about the accused smuggling a cow and reached the spot. We recorded a video of the accused and then handed them over to the police.”
Rajasthan minister Zahida Khan in Ghatmika on Friday. (Express Photo by Deep Mukherjee) 
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