Cow vigilante Mohit Yadav, popularly known as Monu Manesar, has shared a photograph with Faridabad Joint Commissioner of Police Rajesh Duggal, an IPS officer who was awarded the President’s Police Medal on Republic Day 2026.
The photograph has drawn attention as Manesar is one of the principal accused in the 2023 abduction and murder of Rajasthan residents Junaid and Nasir, whose charred bodies were found inside a burnt vehicle in Haryana’s Bhiwani district.
There has been no official statement from Haryana Police regarding the circumstances under which the photograph was taken or the nature of the interaction.
Earlier remarks on police cooperation
The photograph has resurfaced alongside an earlier video in which Manesar claimed that cow protection groups work in coordination with the police.
Addressing a programme organised by a Hindu group, Manesar said cow vigilante groups should inform the administration and work alongside it while carrying out operations. He also claimed that Rajasthan Police had cooperated closely with him and that police personnel worked with cow protection groups “day and night.”
Authorities have not publicly responded to these assertions.
Released on bail in March
Manesar was granted regular bail by the Rajasthan High Court in March 2026 after spending nearly two-and-a-half years in judicial custody following his September 2023 arrest in the Junaid-Nasir murder case.
His release from Sewar Central Jail in Bharatpur was marked by a public procession, with supporters welcoming him with garlands, drumbeats and slogans while police provided security during his journey to his native village in Haryana.
Background of the Junaid-Nasir case
Junaid, 35, and Nasir, 27, cousins from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district, went missing on the night of February 14–15, 2023. Their charred bodies were found the following day inside a burnt SUV in Haryana’s Bhiwani district.
Investigators alleged that the two men were intercepted by suspected cow vigilantes on suspicion of transporting cattle. Police later stated that no cattle were found in the vehicle and alleged that the victims were assaulted, killed and their bodies set on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence.
According to investigators, Junaid allegedly died after being assaulted in Ferozepur Jhirka, while Nasir was allegedly strangled in Bhiwani before the vehicle was set ablaze. Forensic analysis later confirmed the identities of the victims.
The criminal case against Monu Manesar and other accused remains pending before the court.
