Aryan Mishra, a class-12 student from Faridabad, Haryana, was tragically shot dead by members of a cow vigilante group on August 23 near Gadhpuri, Haryana.
The incident took place along the Delhi-Agra highway, where the accused chased Aryan's car for nearly 30km. According to NDTV, the vigilantes involved have been identified as Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna, Adesh, and Saurabh. Police sources have confirmed that the weapon used in the crime was illegal. All the accused are currently in police custody, and an investigation is ongoing.
The vigilante group had received information that cattle 'smugglers' were fleeing the city in a Renault Duster and a Toyota Fortuner after picking up cattle in the area. While searching for these 'smugglers', the group spotted a Duster car at Patel Chowk, in which Aryan was traveling with his friends, Shanky and Harshit.
When the vigilantes ordered them to stop the car, Aryan and his friends, mistaking the vigilantes for a rival gang targeting Shanky, attempted to flee. Believing they were in danger, the vigilantes opened fire, striking Aryan near the neck. When the car eventually stopped, the vigilantes fired again, hitting Aryan in the chest, fearing retaliation from his friends.
Upon realizing that they had targeted the wrong individuals after seeing two women inside the car, the vigilantes fled the scene. Aryan was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries the following day.
In a related incident, Haryana police arrested the eighth suspect on Sunday in connection with a lynching in Dadri, where a migrant worker from West Bengal was beaten to death on suspicion of eating beef.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind condemned the lynching, with its chief, Maulana Arshad Madani, suggesting that the "mob lynching" could have been premeditated to stir communal tensions ahead of the state assembly elections. He criticized the violence, stating that such acts demonstrate how communal elements consider themselves above the law, targeting individuals based on religion with impunity.
