New Delhi: 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 image has attracted attention as Manesar is one of the principal accused in the 2023 abduction and murder case of Rajasthan residents Junaid and Nasir, whose charred bodies were found inside a burnt SUV in Haryana’s Bhiwani district.
The photograph, which surfaced on social media, has triggered discussion given the pending criminal proceedings against Manesar. However, there has been no official statement from the Haryana Police explaining the circumstances under which the photograph was taken or the nature of the interaction between the senior police officer and the accused.
Earlier Claims of Police Cooperation
The image has also revived attention to an earlier video in which Manesar claimed that cow protection groups worked in coordination with law enforcement agencies. Addressing a programme organised by a Hindu organisation, he said such groups should inform the administration and work alongside the police while carrying out operations against alleged cattle smuggling.
In the same speech, Manesar claimed that the 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.
Granted Bail Earlier This Year
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 arrest in September 2023 in connection with the Junaid-Nasir murder case.
His release from Sewar Central Jail in Bharatpur was marked by a celebratory procession, with supporters welcoming him with garlands, drumbeats and slogans as he travelled to his native village in Haryana under police security.
The Junaid-Nasir Murder 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 discovered the following day inside a burnt SUV in Haryana’s Bhiwani district.