A Class 12 student in Haryana’s Faridabad has been allegedly chased in a car and killed by cow vigilantes who mistook him for a cattle smuggler. Five members of a cow vigilante group have been arrested for the August 23 attack, police said, adding the accused have been identified as Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna, Adesh, and Saurabh.

Mistaking the victim, Aryan Mishra, and his friends, Shanky and Harshit, for cattle smugglers, the accused chased their car for about 30 kilometers near Haryana’s Gadhpuri on the Delhi-Agra National Highway.

According to sources, the cow vigilantes had received information that some cattle smugglers in Renault Duster and Toyota Fortuner cars were recceing the city and picking up cattle.

The arrested accused, while searching for the cattle smugglers, saw a Duster car at Patel Chowk. They then asked the car driver, Harshit, to stop. However, Aryan and his friends didn’t stop as Shanky had a rivalry with some other people and they thought they had sent goons to kill them.

As they didn’t stop, the accused opened fire at the car and a bullet hit Aryan – who was in the passenger seat – near the neck. He was then shot again when the car finally stopped and the accused thought they might fire back at them.

Sources said when the accused saw two women in the car, they felt that they had shot the wrong person and fled.

Aryan was rushed to a hospital where he died a day later.

The weapon used in the incident was also illegal, sources said. The accused are currently in police custody and further investigation is underway.

The Tamil film industry has finally broken its silence on allegations of sexual harassment following the release of the Hema Committee Report in Kerala, which has shaken the film industry in the neighbouring state.

Director Venkat Prabhu, known for his work on the upcoming Vijay-starrer ‘GOAT‘ has become the first prominent figure to speak out on the issue of sexual harassment in the Tamil film industry.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Mr Prabhu expressed his belief that it is time for the Tamil film industry to address the allegations head-on. “At least from now, the Tamil film industry should start clearing things up,” he said.

Mr Prabhu emphasised the need for a safer working environment for women in the industry. “I have two daughters. We need a safer place for women,” he stated. He stressed the importance of ensuring that perpetrators face punishment to deter future offences. 

“Ensure punishment so men will be scared to do what they do,” he said.

Underscoring that sexual harassment is prevalent in all sectors, he pointed out that the cinema industry often finds itself under the media spotlight. “Women go through the same in all industries, including media, IT, and sports,” he noted.

When asked specifically whether the industry should have acted on singer Chinmayi’s sexual harassment allegations against lyricist Vairamuthu and actor Radha Ravi, Mr Prabhu indicated that the Tamil film industry is taking steps to address these cases. “The Tamil film industry is taking care of it,” he said. However, a female industry member questioned this, asking, “I don’t know how the industry is taking care of it.”

On Sunday, superstar Rajinikanth, when asked if Tamil Nadu should have a committee like the Hema Committee to probe allegations of sexual harassment, stated, “I’m not aware of the Hema Committee report.”

In the past, Vairamuthu denied the allegations and said he would face them legally if a formal complaint were filed.