'You are a Brahmin, and I am also a Brahmin': Cow vigilante's shocking plea after Faridabad youth's murder

FARIDABAD: Seeking justice for his 20-year-old son Aryan Mishra, who was chased down and shot dead on Aug 24 by a cow vigilante group, Siya Nand Mishra said on Wednesday he and his wife were prepared to end their lives if govt did not act against the perpetrators within two months.
At their house in NIT-5, the grieving father had two questions: "Who gives authority to cow vigilantes to kill anyone in the name of 'gau raksha'? And what are police doing to stop them from taking the law into their own hands?" Ajay Mishra (25) told TOI his younger brother Aryan was a "devout Hindu" who had gone on kanwar yatra this year.
The saffron flag that you see outside our house was put up by Aryan. He had returned from Kanwar yatra last month only and had blisters on his feet. A pandit had asked him to regularly feed cows, so he would do that despite his busy schedule," Ajay said.
Aryan, TOI reported on Wednesday, had dropped out of school after completing Class XI to help run the household. He took up Class XII through open school and began working at a mobile shop in Ghaziabad. Ajay said Aryan was also trying to make a career in digital marketing and had started helping a friend with social media videos.
For Siya Nand, who is from Ayodhya, the loss of Aryan is a devastating blow. After the arrest of cow vigilantes who allegedly shot Aryan, Siya Nand briefly came face to face with main accused Anil Kaushik. "Anil stood before me, with his hands folded. He said, 'You are a Brahmin, and I am also a Brahmin'. He said he made a big mistake and told me that he chased the car that Aryan was in, thinking he was a cow smuggler."
The father, wearing Aryan's T-shirt that the 20-year-old had got after completing a programme from Centre's Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETi), asked why there weren't any bullet marks on the car.
"What are the police for," he asked. "If cow vigilantes get to know about smuggling, they should tell police. They can't kill anyone. These vigilantes have formed private groups. Tomorrow, if they have enmity with anyone, does that mean they can shoot anyone in the name of 'gau raksha' and claim that the person was transporting a cow?" Siya Nand said.
He added, "Whether Hindu or Muslim, all are equal. Are Muslims not humans?"