In an alleged attempt to downplay cow vigilantism in BJP-ruled states that have made several cattle traders subject to mob lynching, the police denied the allegation that Class 12 student Aryan Mishra in Haryana was shot dead by cow vigilantes, despite one of the accused’s mother acknowledging that her son was a protector of cows.
Mishra and his friends were travelling in a Duster sports utility vehicle when they were pursued by five men—identified as Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna, Adesh, and Saurav. The men, believing the occupants of the vehicle were cattle smugglers, chased them for approximately 25 kilometres before opening fire. Mishra, who was seated next to the driver, was struck by a bullet and succumbed to his injuries a day later in hospital.
At a recent press conference, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aman Yadav said that the current investigation has not revealed any connections between the accused and cow vigilante organisations. Incongruous was Yadav’s response about the incident: despite claiming that the group was not cow vigilantes, he said that the accused men mistakenly identified Mishra’s vehicle as being involved in illegal cattle smuggling activities.
Earlier reports had suggested that the accused received information about cattle smugglers operating in Faridabad using vehicles similar to Mishra’s. However, the police have yet to confirm the validity of these reports.
The mother of Anil Kaushik, one of the key accused, told media outlets that her son is a “cow protector” but denied that he was the one who fired the fatal shot. She also claimed that her son was merely pursuing the vehicle and was not responsible for the shooting. Besides, sources at Kaushik’s workplace have described him as a known cow vigilante, although this has not been officially corroborated by the police.
In a twist to the case, the victim’s father, Siya Nand Mishra, has claimed that Kaushik confessed to firing the shots during police custody. According to Mishra, the confession was made in his presence and was based on a mistaken belief that the occupants of the car were involved in cattle smuggling.
The incident began late on August 23rd when Mishra and his friends, Harshit and Shanky, were driving in the Duster. The accused men, having received incorrect information about the presence of cattle smugglers in similar vehicles, signalled for the Duster to stop. When the vehicle did not comply, the accused gave chase, leading to the fatal shooting after several kilometres of pursuit.