A teenager who participated in a demonstration organised by gau rakshaks in Sonipat on Thursday stabbed a student, mistaking him for a journalist, after the latter refused to click his photograph.

The protest was organised by the Gau Rakshak Seva Dal against the slaughtering of a cow in Kerala last week, said SHO (Gohana) Kuldeep Deshwal, adding that the teenager was not a member of the group.

The accused, Mohit, 19, has been arrested on charges of attempt to murder. The victim, Shivam, a Gohana resident, has been admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.

According to the police, Shivam had accompanied a journalist friend to the protest site outside the Mini-secretariat here around 2:30 p.m. An argument broke out between him and Mohit over taking pictures. “Shivam was fiddling with a camera when Mohit asked him to take pictures of the memorandum being submitted to the SDM. Shivam refused to oblige and an argument ensued. The onlookers pacified them,” said Mr. Deshwal.

Shivam lodged a complaint with the police an hour later.

“I sent Shivam with a constable to detain Mohit. When Mohit tried to run away, Shivam chased him. At this, Mohit stabbed him thrice. He was, however, caught,” the SHO added.