Rajasthan Lynchings: Accused Says They First Went To Police, Haryana To Cancel Accused Monu's Arms Licence, Read All Updates

Rinku Saini, one of the accused in the alleged Rajasthan lynchings case, has said he and fellow cow vigilantes first took Nasir and Junaid to Haryana Police. 

Rinku is one of the five accused in the alleged abduction and murder of Nasir and Junaid of Ghatmika village in Rajasthan's Bharatpur. The charred remains of the two were found in Haryana's Bhiwani on Thursday. Rainku and four other members of the Hindu right-wing group Bajrang Dal are accused in the case. While Rinku is in police custody, the four others are on the run. 

In a related development in the case, the Haryana authorities moved to cancel the arms licence of another accused Monu Manesar, a member of the Bajrang Dal and a prominent cow vigilante in Haryana. 

While Rinku made the claim of first taking Nasir and Junaid to Haryana Police, the Rajasthan Police said the claim could not be verified.

However, Rinku's claim corroborates with the statement of Mohammad Jabir, a relative of the deceased, that the two were first taken to the Firozpur Jhirka Police Station in Haryana but police refused take their custody as their condition was serious. Subsequently they were taken to Loharu in Bhiwani district.

What's the Rajasthan lynchings case?

Charred bodies of two men identified as Nasir and Junaid of Ghatmika village in Rajasthan's Bharatpur were found in Haryana's Bhiwani on Thursday. 

The families of Nasir and Junaid had lodged a complaint with the police on Wednesday over their disappearance. The families allege they were abducted and burnt to death. Thirty-one-year-old Mohammad Jabir, a relative of both Junaid and Nasir, held Monu Manesar, one of the five accused named in the FIR, as being responsible for the deaths.

Jabir said, “Why are the police not arresting the accused? If Monu Manesar, a member of Bajrang Dal, is named in the FIR, why are the police not arresting him?” 

Junaid's relative Ismail said the family learnt from the police in Ferozpur Jhirka in Haryana’s Nuh district about the abduction. Later the charred remains were found in Bhiwani’s Loharu area. 

Besides Monu, the others named in the FIR are Anil, Shrikant, Rinku Saini, and Lokesh Singla. All are said to belong to Bajrang Dal.

Rinku has been arrested and a court in Rajasthan has sent him to five days of police remand. The other accused are on the run.

"Saini has claimed during interrogation that Junaid and Nasir were taken to Haryana Police. The claim will be verified," Inspector General of Police of Bharatpur range Gaurav Srivastava told reporters.

Haryana to cancel arms licence of Monu Manesar

Monu Manesar of Bajrang Dal is one of the five accused in the case. He is a prominent cow vigilante in Haryana and faces a attempt to murder case.

After Monu's alleged involvement in the Rajasthan lynchings surfaced, Haryana authorities moved to cancel his arms licence.

Separately, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that Rajasthan and Haryana police were cooperating and the guilty would not be spared.

Meanwhile, Haryana police said they are investigating a complaint filed in Nuh by the mother of one of the accused, Shrikant Pandit, alleging that Rajasthan police had forcibly taken away her two other sons after assaulting her family members, including her full-term pregnant daughter-in-law who lost her child after the incident.

Varun Singla, Superintendent of Police of Nuh, said that a probe has been initiated on the complaint from Dulari Devi and they were verifying the facts.

Complaint of family of accused

Family of accused Shrikant Pandit has said that the Rajasthan Police forcibly entered their house and harassed and assaulted them.

In Haryana's Nuh, complainant Dulari Devi alleged that a team of over 40 personnel of Rajasthan Police forcibly entered her house and asked about the whereabouts of her son Shrikant.

"When I told them that my son was not at home, they thrashed me and my son's pregnant wife Kamlesh. They uttered abuses and took away my two sons Vishnu and Rahul with them and we still don't know about their whereabouts," she claimed.

Devi claimed that her daughter-in-law had completed nine months of pregnancy.

"The cops also kicked the pregnant wife of Shri Kant on her stomach and she started having stomach pain. She was admitted to Mandi khera hospital and soon after referred to Nalhar Medical College where her child was born dead," she claimed and added her daughter-in-law is still hospitalised in critical condition.

"Both my sons Vishnu and Rahul should be recovered and strict action should be taken against the culprits,” Dulari said in her complaint.

A senior police officer said on condition of anonymity that the family buried the body of the child without a postmortem. In this situation, it is a matter of investigation first.

“As per the complaint, we are verifying the facts. Further action will be taken as per the law,” said SP Singla while speaking to PTI.

(With PTI inputs)