Vigilante Monu at the centre of row

NEW DELHI: Mohit Yadav, 28, better known as Monu Manesar, I could not be arrested for over five months despite being named (along with 21 others) in the abduction and killing of two cattle traders, Junaid and his cousin Nasir, whose charred bodies were found in a burnt car in Rajasthan's Bhiwani on February 16

- Karn Pratap Singh and Leena Dhankhar

Manesar, who heads the cow vigilante wing of Bajrang Dal in Haryana, is now at the centre of Monday's communal violence during a procession led by rightwing outfits Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Haryana's Nuh that later spread to Sohna and Gurugram, claimed at least five lives, and left over 50 injured.

The communal clashes are believed to have been triggered by three videos released on social media-two by Monu and another by Bittu Bajrangi, also a cow vigilante-between Sunday and Monday. In one video, Monu can be heard announcing he will reach Nuh to participate in the procession on Monday urging people to visit temples in Mewat region in large numbers. The procession, while ostensibly religious, was also meant to be a show of strength. Bajrangi in his video is also heard making derogatory remarks. A few videos challenging Monu to face consequences if he reached Nuh also emerged from accounts with Muslim profiles.