2 charred bodies in car: Raj cops nab man linked to cow vigilante group

The Rajasthan police on Friday arrested one of the five persons named in the FIR in connection with the death of two Muslim men from the state whose charred bodies were found in a car in Haryana after they were allegedly abducted by cow vigilantes.

It also questioned some suspects, officials said.

The family members of the deceased had named five men linked to the Bajrang Dal in their complaint to the police.

In a statement Friday night, the Rajasthan police said Rinku Saini, 32, a resident of Firozpur Jhirka in Haryana's Nuh district, was arrested on the basis of interrogation and technical analysis.

Saini, a taxi diver, was involved with a cow vigilante group, the police said.

The police statement added that the remaining accused will be arrested at the earliest.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the killing and promised stern action against the accused.

Nasir (25) and Junaid alias Juna (35), both residents of Ghatmeeka village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, were allegedly abducted 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 of cattle smuggling and five cases were registered against him at different police stations, a police officer said.

The last rites of the two, who were related to each other, were conducted on Friday after authorities announced a financial aid of Rs 20.5 lakh to each of the affected families.

Minister of state for education Zahida Khan met the affected family members and said a delegation from the village would meet the Rajasthan chief minister on Saturday.

Inspector general of police, Bharatpur range, Gaurav Srivastava said, "Those named in the FIR are associated with the Bajrang Dal but whether they were involved in the crime or not is yet to be ascertained."

He said half a dozen people have been detained and are being questioned.

One of the key accused in the case is Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar, the Gurugram district president of Bajrang Dal and a member of a self-proclaimed cow protection team.

He was earlier named in an attempt to murder case registered at Pataudi police station in Gurugram on February 7.

While on the run, Manu Manesar released a video message claiming his innocence in the latest case.

"My colleagues and I have no role but Rajasthan police registered a case against me and my group members. I don't even know the deceased," he said.

"At that time of the incident, I was in a hotel in Gurugram with my team members. I also share the CCTV footage of the hotel which showed our presence in the hotel. We were booked by the Bharatpur police wrongly and it is only a conspiracy to defame my team and my organisation," he added.

Superintendent of police of Bharatpur Shyam Singh said the FIR was registered at Gopalgarh police station against five people -- Anil, Srikant, Rinku Saini, Lokesh Singhla and Monu -- on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victims' family members.

The accused have been booked under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 365 (kidnapping), 367 (grievously hurt after kidnapping) and 368 (wrongfully keeping in confinement) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.

Asked about the involvement of cow vigilantes in the incident, the SP said it is a matter of investigation.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Friday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter and alleged that the Bajrang Dal's name was being dragged into the case due to "political bias".

Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the VHP.

Reacting to the allegation, VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain said, "It seems that without preliminary investigation, the Rajasthan Police have assumed that the names taken by the smuggler's brother are responsible for the incident."

He demanded that a CBI probe be ordered into the case, saying “the society in the state doesn't expect justice from the Rajasthan government which suffers from political bias.”

The Congress is in power in Rajasthan.

VHP leaders in Gurugram held a press conference and strongly condemned the registration of the case against the Bajrang Dal members.

Taking to Twitter, Gehlot condemned the killing.

"The killing of two residents of Bharatpur's Ghatmeeka's village in Haryana is condemnable. Rajasthan and Haryana police are coordinating with each other for the probe... Rajasthan police has been directed to take strict action," the chief minister said.

On the victims' families alleging the Bajrang Dal's role in the killings, the Rajasthan BJP said it is not justified to malign an organisation before the investigation is completed.

"Whether the accused have links with the Bajrang Dal or are cow vigilantes, it is a matter of investigation. It is not justified to malign any organisation. It will be better if the police take action against those who are guilty," state BJP spokesperson Ramlal Sharma told reporters.

Rajasthan minister Zahida Khan, who met the affected families, told reporters, "It is a heinous crime and an unfortunate incident. Our chief minister is sensitive and had alerted the police last night, because of which one accused has been detained."

She said that it has been decided to provide a contractual job to a family member of the deceased.