Murdered by the ‘cow vigilantes’: Hindu teen is executed by mob who thought he was Muslim animal smuggler, as religious divisions in India spark wave of violence over ‘sacred’ animals

A Hindu teenager was fatally shot in the head in India by a gang of “cow protectors” after they mistook him for a Muslim cattle trader.

Aryan Mishra, 19, was travelling with his friends in Faridabad, India, when they were spotted by the ‘cow vigilantes’ on the Delhi-Agra highway and chased for 18 miles.

When Mishra’s friend finally stopped in the early morning of August 24, the brazen group of five men got out of their vehicle and charged Mishra, shooting him in the head at close range.

Among the five people who chased the Renault Duster that Mishra was driving was reportedly Anil Kaushik, 38, who often patrolled the area as a self-proclaimed ‘gau rakshak’ (‘protector of cows’).

Kaushik, along with four others, identified only as Saurabh, Krishna, Varun and Adesh, were arrested four days after the murder and remanded in custody for two days, senior inspector Aman Yadav said in a press release.

Among the five who chased the Renault Duster Mishra was driving was Anil Kaushik, 38, who often patrolled the area as a self-styled ‘gau rakshak’ – or ‘cow protector’. Kaushik, along with four others – identified only as Saurabh, Krishna, Varun and Adesh, were arrested four days after the murder and remanded in police custody for two days, Superintendent Aman Yadav said in a press release.

Mishra was driving a red Renault Duster in Faridabad before he and his friends were chased by the gang for 29 kilometres on the Delhi-Agra highway

However, police do not expect to file charges before next month.

During interrogation, the suspects stated that on the night of August 23, they had received information about suspected cattle traders in Faridabad with two SUVs.

Then, at the police station, Kaushik came face to face with Mishra’s distraught father, Siyanand.

Siyanand, 49, said The Times that Kaushik told him, ‘I have made a big mistake. Your son was a Hindu. I thought he was a Muslim.’

The heartbroken father asked the gang member if it would be okay if his son had been Muslim.

“For a cow? Isn’t a Muslim a human being?” he asked.

“I told him that he is a disgrace to Hindus and that he should languish in jail,” he added.

According to a report by The Print, Kaushik told Siyanand that he regretted killing “a brother” after mistaking the Hindu teenager for a Muslim.

The suspects were all “cow vigilantes” — members of a nationwide right-wing Hindu militia, the Gau Raksha Dal (GRD, or Cow Protection Society), which claims to protect cows — considered sacred by many Hindus — from slaughter, mainly by Muslim cattle traders.

In most Indian states, cow slaughter is prohibited or regulated for religious and cultural reasons, as the animals are considered ‘holy’ beings in Hinduism.

But vigilantes rarely face serious consequences for their actions. Often, it is the victims and their families who are checked by the police to see if they had beef in their possession.

Cow slaughter is banned or regulated in most Indian states for religious and cultural reasons

The suspects were all “cow guard dogs” – members of a nationwide right-wing Hindu militia, the Gau Raksha Dal (GRD or Cow Protection Association), which claims to protect cows – considered sacred by many Hindus – from slaughter, mainly by Muslim cattle traders. Pictured: the logo of the GDR

Human rights groups around the world, and particularly in India, believe the gangs have been operating under the patronage and protection of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since the Hindu leader seized power a decade ago.

The BJP, however, denies any link with the cow attacks. In 2016, Modi even openly criticized the vigilantes.

The Gau Raksha Dal has gangs in nearly half of all Indian states, mostly based in the north.

Their logo shows a cow’s head flanked by two guns and a pair of daggers. Armed vigilantes patrol the streets, hunting down suspected cattle traders.

The gang members also share information about alleged incidents involving cow slaughter and cattle smuggling with local police, and have reportedly even participated in raids and arrests of officers.

When news of Mishra’s death broke, the incident made headlines across the country and sent shockwaves through communities across India.

However, according to Mishra’s father, the horror was not so much his death but the fact that a Hindu had been wrongly targeted.

Just days after Mishra’s death, on August 27, a Muslim migrant worker was beaten to death on suspicion of eating beef.

The next day, an elderly Muslim man on a train in Maharashtra was also beaten up by Hindu vigilantes, who accused him of carrying beef in his bag.

Mishra’s mother Uma wants her youngest son’s death to put an end to cow lynchings.

“They are using the cow as an excuse to kill Muslims. My neighbours are Muslims. I don’t want any of them to suffer the same loss as I did,” she told The Times.