Aryan Mishra murder case: Victim’s friend thought ’cops were chasing’ them, asked brother to ’step up accelerator’

It has been almost two weeks since a Class 12 student was mistaken for a cattle smuggler and killed by five people on the Delhi-Agra highway in Haryana's Faridabad.

The probe into the killing of the 20-year-old Aryan Mishra has shed light on the probable working style of cow vigilantes in the country.

The Haryana police arrested five people on August 28 and 29 in connection with the case, among whom one belongs to an organisation dedicated to cow protection, Times of India reported.

What happened on 23 August?

Along with four of his neighbours—Harshit, his brother Shanky, their mother, and Kriti Sharma—Aryan Mishra of NIT Colony went out at night on August 23 to have noodles near Vardhaman Mall.

Their vehicle – Duster – was chased by a Maruti Swift. Shanky, accused in an attempt to murder case, thought they were either being chased by police or the ones they attacked earlier.

“He asked his brother to step up the accelerator. As the Duster sped, the Swift kept up the chase,” TOI quoted an officer as saying.

After chasing the Duster for about 29 kilometres, the attackers opened fire on the occupants of the Duster, in which Aryan Mishra was injured. He was seated in the front.

Soon, Harshit pulled the car over near Gadpuri toll plaza. Following this, the accused – Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna, Adesh, and Saurabh – came out of the Swift and shot Aryan directly in the neck from a close range.

“They took a close look at Aryan and fled, probably realising it was a mistaken identity. Plus, there were women seated behind,” the police officer added according to TOI.

Following the incident, Aryan was taken to SSB Hospital in Faridabad and was pronounced dead on August 24 afternoon.

Faridabad Police's Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aman Yadav said that all the accused were arrested based on CCTV footage and all hail from Faridabad. However, he added that there is no evidence to indicate that Anil and his friends are cow vigilantes or linked with any such organisation.

Who is Anil Kaushik?

According to details, Anil Kaushik is the founding president of 'Live For Nation', which claims to protect cows and operate an ambulance.

He also has other vehicles at his Parvatiya Colony office in Faridabad, which are supposedly used in cow vigilantism.

Meanwhile, Anil's mother claimed her son is innocent. Speaking to NDTV, she said, “Yes, my son was chasing that car that night. He told me he thought there was a cow smuggler in the car. He also said that the first bullet was fired from the Duster. But he did not fire any bullets; I don't know whose bullet hit him (Aryan Mishra). My son is innocent. He protects cows and serves society.”