JAIPUR
The Rajasthan police has arrested two persons wanted in the Bharatpur double murder case in which two Muslim men were killed allegedly by cow vigilantes in neighbouring Haryana in February this year. The two accused, arrested from an isolated hilly area near Dehradun, were among the eight persons who were wanted by the police.
The accused, Monu Rana and Gogi, are alleged to have connections with Bajrang Dal and other cow vigilante groups in Haryana, Inspector General of Police, Bharatpur range, Gaurav Srivastava, said on Friday. The State government was facing criticism over the slow pace of investigation in the case, while Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had asked the BJP government in Haryana to help the Rajasthan police in arresting the culprits.
The two accused were brought to Bharatpur on Thursday night and produced in the court of a Judicial Magistrate, who remanded them in police custody for 10 days. They have been booked under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and other penal provisions for abduction, wrongful confinement and criminal conspiracy.
Role of accused
Mr. Srivastava said Monu Manesar, a cow vigilante named in the FIR, was on the list of suspects and his role would become clear after the interrogation of Monu Rana and Gogi. Six other accused, each carrying a cash reward of ₹10,000, are still absconding and search for them was on.
The victims – Nasir, 25, and Junaid, 35 – both residents of Bharatpur’s Ghatmika village, were allegedly abducted on February 15 and their charred bodies were found inside a burnt vehicle near Loharu town in Haryana’s Bhiwani district the next morning. One of the accused, Rinku Saini, was arrested on February 17, and the police identified others involved in the crime based on his statement.
The police have issued notices to several other suspects, including office- bearers and members of Haryana Gau Raksha Dal, but none of them has turned up so far. The prime accused, Monu Manesar, runs a regional network of ‘gau rakshaks’ (cow protectors) and uploads videos on the social media platforms showing him in hot pursuit of alleged cow smugglers.