Bhiwani murders: Haryana police files FIR against Rajasthan cops, mahapanchayat backs Monu Manesar

9 accused, including Bajrang Dal member Monu Manesar who runs a cow protection group, have been named in the case so far

Rajasthan Police has seized a Haryana-registered SUV allegedly used by cow vigilantes in the abduction and murder of two men whose charred bodies were found in Bhiwani, officials said.

The Scorpio vehicle was recovered from Haryana based on the interrogation of accused Rinku Saini in the case. A total of nine accused, including Bajrang Dal member Monu Manesar who runs a cow protection group, have been named in the case so far.

"Yes, a Scorpio vehicle has been seized which was used by the criminals," Director General of Police Umesh Mishra told PTI.

The police said that the owner of the vehicle is yet to be ascertained.The accused had followed the Bolero, in which the two bodies were found, and had fled after leaving the vehicle, the officials said but did not disclose the exact location where the vehicle was found.

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Also on Tuesday, Haryana Police registered a case against 30 to 40 unnamed Rajasthan police personnel in Nuh on a complaint by a woman that her pregnant daughter-in-law lost her child after she was allegedly assaulted by them during a raid to nab her son Srikant, who is among the accused in the abduction-murder case.

Following the complaint of Dulari Devi, an FIR has been registered under sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 452 (house-trespass) and 312 (causing miscarriage) of the Indian Penal Code at Nagina police station here, the police said.

“We had exhumed the body of the stillborn baby whose postmortem was conducted by a board of doctors on Monday and the final report is awaited. Following the complaint of Dulari Devi, an FIR has been registered against unnamed cops of Rajasthan police," Varun Singla, Superintendent of Police of Nuh, told PTI.

Devi is the mother of accused Srikant Pandit and the woman who lost the child is his wife.

The Rajasthan Police has denied Devi's allegation. DGP Mishra on Tuesday said that lawful action was taken by the Rajasthan police in the matter and his force will come out clean.

"The FIR has been registered on the recommendation of the women commission. We are not worried on any count because we know the investigation will be fair. We will come out clean," Mishra said.

While only one of the accused has been arrested so far, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Rajasthan Police is making efforts to provide justice to the families of victims.

Meanwhile, a mahapanchayat organised at Manesar in Haryana in support of Monu Manesar threatened to thwart any attempt by the Rajasthan Police to arrest him without "solid proof".

Villagers claimed that two "policemen" on a motorcycle had reached the house of Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar but were chased away by them. Angry protesters also blocked traffic briefly on the Delhi-Jaipur highway before police reached the spot and persuaded the villagers to withdraw.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad which participated in the mahapanchayat at Baba Bhishma Temple in Haryana slammed the "inhuman behaviour" of Rajasthan Police at Srikant Pandit's house.

The meeting, attended by more than 200 people from different villages and Hindu outfits, lasted around three hours.

A memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu was submitted to the assistant commissioner of police of Pataudi, demanding the cancellation of the FIR against Monu Manesar registered by the Rajasthan Police and a CBI probe into the matter.

"The Gurugram police should assure that Monu Manesar's family will not be touched. No cop will visit their home without prior information. Otherwise, they will not go back alive," said advocate Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, a leader of a Hindu outfit.

Speakers at the mahapanchayat claimed Monu Manesar was not on the run and would appear whenever the administration called.

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"If Rajasthan Police arrests Monu Manesar without solid evidence, a big movement will be organised. Also, the Rajasthan Police should stop harassing Monu Manesar, other colleagues and his family without any evidence.

"The inhuman behaviour of Rajasthan Police which forcibly entered Srikant Pandit's house in Maroda village in Nuh will not be tolerated," said Devinder Singh, the VHP's district general secretary.

Monu Manesar and Srikant Pandit are among the five people initially booked in the abduction-and-murder case. Four more accused were later named in the FIR. Only one of the nine accused has been arrested so far.

Nasir (25) and Junaid alias Juna (35), both residents of Ghatmeeka village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, were allegedly abducted by cow vigilantes on Wednesday and their bodies were found inside a burnt car in Loharu in Bhiwani in Haryana on Thursday morning.

Junaid had a criminal record for cattle smuggling and five cases were registered against him at different police stations, a police officer said.

In its FIR lodged on February 16, the Rajasthan Police named five accused -- Anil, Shrikant, Rinku Saini, Lokesh Singla and Monu Manesar -- on the basis of the complaint lodged by the victims' family. Later, four more suspects' names were added to the FIR registered at Gopalgarh police station in Bharatpur.

Four of these five men initially named in the FIR have turned out to be either informers or complainants in cases filed by the Haryana Police in the past few weeks against suspected cow smugglers.

According to the FIRs registered recently against suspected cow smugglers at Ferozepur Jhirka and Nagina police stations in Haryana's Nuh, Rinku, Lokesh and Srikant are described as informers while Monu Manesar, a member of Bajrang Dal, is a complainant in an FIR registered at Sector 9A police station in Gurugram. Rinku Saini has been arrested by the Rajasthan Police.

Aftab Ahmed, Congress MLA from Haryana's Nuh, on Wednesday raised the issue in Haryana Assembly and demanded a high-level probe, claiming minorities are feeling "unsafe" in the state.

"Negligence of policemen and other officials led to two youths losing their lives...action should be taken against erring personnel," Ahmed said while speaking during the Zero Hour in the state assembly here.