YouTube suspends Bhiwani murder suspect's channel

Gurugram, March 2

Following a major backlash, YouTube has suspended the channel of self-proclaimed cow protector Monu Manesar, one of the suspects in the Bhiwani killings.

Manesar had over two lakh followers and would often upload videos of the Bollywood-style chase of the alleged cow smugglers, their brutal thrashings and activities of his group openly brandishing arms.

The channel had hit troubled waters, as Monu was named as accused in the kidnapping, murder and immolation of two men from Bharatpur — Nasir and Junaid.

Following the incident, while Monu went missing, his channel and videos went viral, leading to a major uproar against law-enforcement agencies and social media giants for ignoring the content.

Highly placed sources revealed that he had posted many pictures and videos with top cops and senior politicians, which were leading to a major controversy and, thus, the action was taken.

Other than the alleged callousness of law-enforcement agencies, social media giants, too, came under scanner for allegedly amplifying hate content and enabling fund-raising at the back of the violence that is often freely streamed online.

The streaming platform has indefinitely suspended him from its “YouTube Partner Program,” which means he can no longer make money from the videos he posts. YouTube, taking note of the violation of its creator’s policy, has also taken down nine videos from his channel for violating “community guidelines” and put age restrictions on two others.

A senior member of the Haryana Gau Raksha Dal, meanwhile, revealed that owing to the ongoing controversy, all members had been asked to pull down all videos pertaining to action against cattle smugglers and also their pictures with state’s top-brass politicians.