By ANI
LUCKNOW: Reiterating her demand for removal of Minister of State (MoS) for Home Ajay Mishra Teni from the Union council of Ministers over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said that justice has not been served yet and she will continue to fight for it.
“Justice is a right in a democracy and justice is not served yet. Every eyewitness has identified MoS Home’s son and had said that he was involved in the matter. The Union minister needs to resign to ensure an unbiased investigation,” she told media persons here.
“All the affected families I met yesterday only demanded justice. The police force was used to stop the Opposition leaders but not to arrest the accused,” she added.
Congress delegation including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the family of deceased farmers in the Lakhimpur Kheri district yesterday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Priyanka had said that voices of justice for the farmers are being muffled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday registered an FIR against Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Varda and 11 others for “disturbing peace” in the state.
A total of eight people including four farmers died in the violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3.
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Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of several farmer unions, alleged that Ashish Mishra Teni, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni arrived with three vehicles around the time that farmers were dispersing from their protest at the helipad and mowed down farmers and towards the end also attacked SKM leader Tajinder Singh Virk directly, by trying to run a vehicle over him.
However, Ashish Mishra refuted SKM’s allegations and said he was not present at the spot where the incident took place.
MoS Teni also said that his son was not present at the spot, adding that some miscreants mingled with protesting farmers and pelted the stones at the car which lead to the ‘unfortunate incident’.
Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra on Thursday attended the event of the Bureau of Police and Research and Development (BPR&D).
There were speculations that the Minister, who is been facing political backlash since Sunday after his son’s name came in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri violence that claimed eight lives, may skip the BPR&D event linked to the 7th National Conference of Heads of Prisons of all states and Union Territories.
BPR&D is an organisation of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) working on research and development on subjects related to police.
The Minister had, however, told ANI on Wednesday that he will join the BPR&D event at its scheduled time.
“I have the invitation and I will be joining the function at its scheduled time…” Mishra had said.
Amid the ongoing developments following the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, the Minister also joined his office yesterday here at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and assured a “fair investigation in the case” in which his son is accused.
Reiterating that neither he nor his son were present at the spot when the Lakhimpur Kheri incident took place, Mishra said he is “ready to depose before any inquiry panel” and that “the case is being investigated from all possible angles engaging multiple investigating agencies”.
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“Neither I nor my son was present at the spot when the violence broke out in Lakhimpur Kheri. Our car was diverted to a different route… I am ready to depose before any inquiry panel,” Mishra had told ANI.
The MoS further said that action will be taken against whoever is guilty and that “investigating agencies will investigate every conspiracy and go to the bottom of the incident”.
Mishra also made it clear that investigation will be done in a fair manner and investigating agencies are working “without any influence”.
“All angles will be probed,” he added.
When asked about his name being mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR), Mishra said, “I know the process of law and I assure to follow the due process as like a common citizen.”
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday filed an FIR for murder against Ashish Mishra, son of MoS Ajay Mishra.
It has been alleged that Ashish ran his car over the protesting farmers in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on October 3 (Sunday).
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