He live-streamed his attacks on Indian Muslims. YouTube gave him an award.

September 26, 2023 at 10:00 p.m. EDT
(Illustration by Shubhadeep Mukherjee for The Washington Post; Enrico Fabian for The Washington Post; Burhaan Kinu/Hindustan Times/Getty Images; Video screenshot from Instagram account of Monu Manesar)
20 min

HUSSAINPUR, India — The Hyundai hatchback barreled down the country road past darkened fields. A white SUV followed in hot pursuit, shattering the pre-dawn quiet with its screaming siren.

The three young Muslim men in the first car were desperately trying to outrun one of the most notorious Hindu vigilantes in north India when they lost control, veered into a vegetable truck and came to a screeching halt. Now, they were in the clutches of Monu Manesar.