A tragic case of mistaken identity led to the death of Aryan Mishra, a Class 12 student from Faridabad, Haryana. On August 23, Aryan was chased and shot by members of a cow vigilante group near Gadhpuri, Haryana. The group had mistakenly believed that Aryan and his friends were involved in cattle smuggling.
According to reports, the incident unfolded on the Delhi-Agra highway when the vigilantes pursued Aryan’s car for approximately 30 kilometers. The suspects, identified as Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna, Adesh, and Saurabh, believed the car to be involved in smuggling activities and confronted the occupants at Patel Chowk.
The vigilantes ordered Aryan and his friends to stop, but the students, unaware of who was pursuing them, did not comply. They suspected they were being chased by rivals of Shanky, one of Aryan’s friends. The vigilantes then opened fire, hitting Aryan twice—once in the neck and once in the chest. After realizing they had targeted the wrong people, the vigilantes fled the scene. Aryan was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Police sources have reported that the weapon used in the shooting was illegal. All suspects are in custody, and an ongoing investigation aims to clarify the details of this tragic incident.
In a separate case, Haryana police have arrested an eighth suspect in connection with the lynching of a migrant worker in Dadri, Haryana. The victim was killed on suspicion of eating beef. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has condemned the violence, suggesting that such acts are meant to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of state assembly elections.
