Faridabad Police: Making list of cow vigilantes, will track them

Faridabad Police said on Wednesday that it was preparing a list of cow vigilante groups active in the area and will closely track their movements as outrage grew over the murder of a teenager last week and the victim’s family announced its plans to expand protests.
Aryan Mishra, a Class 12 student, was shot dead allegedly by cow vigilantes after a 50-kilometre chase in Palwal on August 24. Five people arrested in the case said they mistook Mishra and four others in the car to be cattle smugglers.
The gruesome crime underlined the illegal activities of cow vigilante groups and their unchecked patrols in the area.
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Aman Yadav, assistant commissioner of police (crime), Faridabad, said they were preparing a list of vigilante groups and will track their movements.
“They are not allowed to run any operations in the district. If they receive information, it must be shared with the police. Chasing and killing people is against the law,” Yadav said, emphasising that the police would take strict action against anyone violating the law.
The family, supported by friends and well-wishers, continues to organise protests and raise
The victim’s mother, Uma Mishra, said that the family formed WhatsApp groups to gather support. “We are planning a large protest with at least 1,000 participants to spread awareness about the dangers of cow vigilantes,” Uma said.
Mishra’s religious prayers are scheduled for September 6 and the family said they will finalise the date for protest after the rituals
Ajay Mishra, Aryan’s brother, raised doubts about the police investigation. “There’s something more to this case that’s being hidden,” Ajay alleged.
Mishra succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at SSB Hospital on the afternoon of August 24, said police. Based on the complaint of his father, a case was registered under sections 103 (1) (murder), 190 (unlawful assembly), 191 (3) (rioting armed with deadly weapons) of the BNS and section 25 of the Arms Act on August 24, said police. Four of the vigilantes, including Anil Kaushik who is believed to be the person who shot Mishra, were arrested on August 29 and the fifth accused, Saurabh Singh, on August 30.
This case is part of a pattern of violence perpetrated by cow vigilantes, who have increasingly taken the law into their own hands, often with deadly consequences. Despite numerous cases of lynching and killings, these armed gangs continue to operate with impunity. The Supreme Court has repeatedly asked states to act against such gangs, but they continue to go scot-free in states such as Haryana.
The incident also highlighted the expansive activities of nearly 100 cow vigilante groups that operate in Haryana and have no dearth of recruits. Hundreds of young people, employed as well as those without a job, follow wanted criminals such as Monu Manesar (Mohit Yadav) and Bittu Bajrangi (Raj Kumar).
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Police officials say that most of these young people join the groups for money, power and “ideology”. “In the garb of protecting cows, considered sacred by Hindus, these gangs run an elaborate network funded by extortion and donations,” said a police official, requesting anonymity.
The officials cited above said that Manesar’s had at least 1,000 members and was well funded through extortion, and money from selling seized cattle.
Despite being involved in a series of high-profile murder cases — such as those of Nasir and Junaid in Bhiwani on February 16, 2023 — people like Manesar and Bajrangi have a big following, said the officials.
“He (Monu Manesar) is our hero and we follow his directions,” said Punit Vashisht, a member of Narayani Sewa group which is active in the Gurugram-Nuh area.
Satendra Kumar, a member of the Narayani Sewa group, said a prospective member has to undergo an interview and a group discussion, and demonstrate his “love for the country and for the Hindu community”.
“When I joined, I remember there used to be a handful of young men who wanted to be part of cow vigilantes but now more and more people want to join,” he said, attributing the rise to social media popularity.
Ashutosh Bondwal alias Bhola Silani, 30, a member of Gau Raksha Dal Haryana which has over 10,000 members, said they chose members based on “courage, boldness and financial backup”.
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The members make at least ₹25,000 a month. Each case gets them ₹2 lakh which is distributed within the team and some portion of the money goes in the group fund for miscellaneous expenditures, said members. “We require a person who has no fear of life and is not emotionally connected with family members. We get the risk form signed that they are responsible for their own life and no one is responsible for any mishap. New comers are sent with the rescue team who are involved in long chase and rescue of cattle in bordering areas of Nuh such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar, Sohna. Many times newcomers leave after they go on raids,” said Mohit Kumar alias Monu.
Many members said they left private jobs to join the groups. Abhishek Gaur, president of the Bajrang Dal Haryana said he left his job of territory sales head of a private telecom company to be a part of the cow vigilante group. “Many people have left their good jobs to join us and some of them leave within a month as they are unable to handle the pressure and violence. We have hundreds of members who have left their corporate jobs to be part of us.”
Aman Yadav, assistant commissioner of police, crime , Faridabad, said that they are yet to verify the data how many people are in different groups who operate as cow vigilantes. “There are educated people, businessmen and from affluent families who are part of these operations,” he said.