News Analysis India

Tag: Lakhimpur violence

  • Lakhimpur violence: Ashish Mishra sent to 14-day judicial custody

    By PTI

    LAKHIMPUR: Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, was produced before a court here late on Saturday night, which sent him to 14-day judicial custody in connection with the October 3 Lakhimpur violence.

    After around 12 hours of questioning in connection with the violence in which eight persons including four farmers were killed, a medical team examined Ashish Mishra in the crime branch office here after which he was taken for production before a judicial magistrate, who sent him to custody, senior prosecution officer SP Yadav told PTI.

    He said an application for police remand of Ashish Mishra was submitted to the judicial magistrate who fixed it for hearing for 11 am on Monday.

    Ashish Mishra was named in an FIR following allegations that he was in one of the vehicles that mowed down four farmers protesting over UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit last Sunday.

    Farmer leaders and opposition parties had been demanding Mishra’s arrest but the minister and his son had denied the allegations.

    Two BJP workers and their driver were allegedly lynched by angry farmers in the incident.

    Local journalist Raman Kashyap also died in the violence, which has triggered a political storm and put the BJP government on the back foot in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

    Ashish Mishra, who is known as ‘Monu Bhaiya’ in the area, spent the night in the district jail.

    He had appeared before the SIT at around 10.

    30 AM on Saturday after a second summons was served to him the previous day when he did not turn up for interrogation.

    He was arrested at around 11 PM on Saturday after being grilled by the SIT at the crime branch office in the Police Lines.

    Aged around 35, Ashish Mishra looks after the political activities of his father in his Kheri Parliamentary constituency.

    The Supreme Court had on Friday questioned the non-arrest of the accused, directed preservation of evidence and mulled transferring the probe to another agency.

    Without mincing words, a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana had said, the law must take its course against all accused and the government has to take all remedial steps in this regard to inspire confidence in the investigation of brutal murder of eight persons.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws, had alleged that the violence was held under a pre-planned conspiracy and demanded the arrest of the minister and his son.

    The farmer unions said if the government does not accept their demands by October 11, they will take out a ‘Shaheed Kisan Yatra’ from Lakhimpur Kheri with the ashes of slain farmers.

    The SKM has also gave a call for a “rail roko” protest across the country from 10 AM to 4 PM on October 18 and a “mahapanchayat” in Lucknow on October 26.

    Ajay Mishra should be “dismissed from the cabinet and arrested on charges of spreading disharmony, murder and conspiracy. He is also protecting the culprits in the case”, SKM leader Yogendra Yadav had alleged during a press conference in Delhi.

    A nine-member team headed by by the SIT team headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Upendra Agarwal has been formed to investigate the FIR lodged against the minister’s son and others in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

    After two men were arrested on Thursday in the case, police had put up a notice outside Ashish Mishra’s house asking him to appear before it.

  • Lakhimpur violence: Ashish Mishra arrested after a prolonged 10-hour interrogation

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: In a late night development, Ashish Mishra, main accused of Lakhimpur violence case and son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’, was arrested by the district police after a prolonged 10-hour questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of crime branch, headed by DIG Upendra Agarwal, in Lakhimpur on Saturday.

    Confirming the arrest, senior police authorities, who are part of the SIT, said that Ashish was taken into custody as he was not cooperating in the investigation and was not able to answer many questions satisfactorily.

    Moreover, the sources claimed that following the interrogation, the SIT recommended the district police to add some more sections of IPC in the FIR lodged against Ashish Mishra as they were not convinced enough with his side of the story about the violence which rocked the Terai district on last Sunday.

    As the interrogation of Ashish Mishra continued till late Saturday evening by the six-member SIT in the Lakhimpur crime branch office, he reportedly provided videos and affidavits of 10 persons to the police authorities to prove that he was not inside the vehicle that ploughed into the group of protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri last week.

    However, the police sources said that the evidence pointed towards his presence on the spot of violence on Sunday. Moreover, it was also claimed that Ashish Mishra himself was driving the Thar Mahindra SUV which ran over the group of protesting farmers.

    Police sources also confirmed that Ashish could not present satisfactory proof to show that he was not in the vehicle.

    Ashish Misra appeared before the Special investigation team of crime branch set up by Uttar Pradesh Police to probe into Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, on Saturday at around 10:40 am.

    His interrogation began soon after as the SIT had come prepared with a 40-question list to quiz Ashish over the violence which claimed eight lives including four farmers.

    The sources said that during his questioning, Ashish claimed his innocence by reiterating that he was not present at Tikunia, the site of the incident. He reportedly insisted that he was at a ‘dangal’ (wrestling competition) taking place at Banbirpur village, some 3-4 km away from Tikunia, when the violence broke out.

    However, the informed sources claimed that Ashish could not convince the probe team about his whereabouts at the time of incident.

    So far, the Lakhimpur police have arrested two persons – Luvkush and Ashish Pandey—said to be the close aides of Ashish Mishra, in connection with the violence.

    Ashish Mishra has been named as main accused in the FIR lodged by the farmers in connection with the Sunday violence. He along with 15-20 unidentified persons has been booked under sections pertaining to murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting, etc. in the case.

    There was a huge crowd of local BJP workers at the office of the Lakhimpur police crime branch. They were shouting slogans in support of the Ashish Mishra claiming that he was innocent and was being framed in the violence case.

    Ashish Mishra appeared before the police authorities in response to the second summon notice pasted by the cops at his residence on Friday asking him to appear in connection with the violence that killed eight people. In fact, the notice was served on Ashish under Section 160 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC) and he was asked to appear in person and present evidence that he is aware of the incident.

    Ashish was accompanied by his counsel Awadesh Singh and Lakhimpur Sadar MLA Yogesh Verma of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mishra was taken to a room inside the crime branch office where police personnel investigating the matter began questioning him. His counsel accompanied him during the questioning.

    Ashish Mishra had failed to show up in response to the first summon notice of Thursday and missed his 10 am deadline for his appearance on Friday.

    Meanwhile, the farmer unions have stepped up the pressure for the arrest of Ashish Mishra releasing a calendar of protest in October if Ashish is not arrested in the violence case. They are also demanding the resignation of the Union Minister Ajay Mishra.

    While interacting with media persons on Saturday, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesman Rakesh Tikait on Saturday said that no case should be registered against the farmers in connection with the killing of three BJP workers in Lakhimpur Kheri violence as the lynching was only a “reaction to the action”.

  • Lakhimpur violence case: Ashish Mishra arrested after a prolonged 11-hour interrogation

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: In a late night development, Ashish Mishra, main accused of Lakhimpur violence case and son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’, was arrested by the district police after a prolonged 11-hour questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of crime branch, headed by DIG Upendra Agarwal, in Lakhimpur on Saturday.

    Confirming the arrest, senior police authorities, who are part of the SIT, said that Ashish was taken into custody as he was not cooperating in the investigation and was not able to answer many questions satisfactorily.

    Moreover, the sources claimed that following the interrogation, the SIT recommended the district police to add some more sections of IPC in the FIR lodged against Ashish Mishra as they were not convinced enough with his side of the story about the violence which rocked the Terai district on last Sunday.

    As the interrogation of Ashish Mishra continued till late Saturday evening by the six-member SIT in the Lakhimpur crime branch office, he reportedly provided videos and affidavits of 10 persons to the police authorities to prove that he was not inside the vehicle that ploughed into the group of protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri last week.

     Ashish Mishra (centre), accused in the Tikonia violence case.(Photo | PTI)

    However, the police sources said that the evidence pointed towards his presence on the spot of violence on Sunday. Moreover, it was also claimed that Ashish Mishra himself was driving the Thar Mahindra SUV which ran over the group of protesting farmers.

    Police sources also confirmed that Ashish could not present satisfactory proof to show that he was not in the vehicle.

    Ashish Misra appeared before the Special investigation team of crime branch set up by Uttar Pradesh Police to probe into Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, on Saturday at around 10:40 am.

    His interrogation began soon after as the SIT had come prepared with a 40-question list to quiz Ashish over the violence which claimed eight lives including four farmers.

    The sources said that during his questioning, Ashish claimed his innocence by reiterating that he was not present at Tikunia, the site of the incident. He reportedly insisted that he was at a ‘dangal’ (wrestling competition) taking place at Banbirpur village, some 3-4 km away from Tikunia, when the violence broke out.

    ​VIEW GALLERY | ‘Fascism’, ‘Jallianwala Bagh’, ‘Hitler’: Lakhimpur Kheri farmers’ killing leads to strong reactions by Opposition leaders

    However, the informed sources claimed that Ashish could not convince the probe team about his whereabouts at the time of incident.

    So far, the Lakhimpur police have arrested two persons – Luvkush and Ashish Pandey—said to be the close aides of Ashish Mishra, in connection with the violence.

    Ashish Mishra has been named as main accused in the FIR lodged by the farmers in connection with the Sunday violence. He along with 15-20 unidentified persons has been booked under sections pertaining to murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting, etc. in the case.

    There was a huge crowd of local BJP workers at the office of the Lakhimpur police crime branch. They were shouting slogans in support of the Ashish Mishra claiming that he was innocent and was being framed in the violence case.

    Ashish Mishra appeared before the police authorities in response to the second summon notice pasted by the cops at his residence on Friday asking him to appear in connection with the violence that killed eight people. In fact, the notice was served on Ashish under Section 160 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC) and he was asked to appear in person and present evidence that he is aware of the incident.

    Ashish was accompanied by his counsel Awadesh Singh and Lakhimpur Sadar MLA Yogesh Verma of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mishra was taken to a room inside the crime branch office where police personnel investigating the matter began questioning him. His counsel accompanied him during the questioning.

    Ashish Mishra had failed to show up in response to the first summon notice of Thursday and missed his 10 am deadline for his appearance on Friday.

    Meanwhile, the farmer unions have stepped up the pressure for the arrest of Ashish Mishra releasing a calendar of protest in October if Ashish is not arrested in the violence case. They are also demanding the resignation of the Union Minister Ajay Mishra.

    While interacting with media persons on Saturday, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesman Rakesh Tikait on Saturday said that no case should be registered against the farmers in connection with the killing of three BJP workers in Lakhimpur Kheri violence as the lynching was only a “reaction to the action”.

  • Congress CWC meeting on October 16; Lakhimpur violence, elections on meet agenda

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Top Congress leadership will gather here on October 16 to deliberate on the current political situation, including the Lakhimpur violence, and decide on the organisational elections at a meeting of the party’s working committee.

    The meeting of the Congress’ top decision-making body has been convened after demands from some quarters within the party to discuss important issues, including some defections in the recent past.

    Former leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had also written to the Congress president to convene a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) soon.

    AICC general secretary K C Venugopal tweeted, “A meeting of the Congress Working Committee will be held on Saturday, the 16th October, 2021 at 10 am at AICC Office, 24, Akbar Road, New Delhi to discuss current political situation, forthcoming assembly elections and organisational elections.”

    The party leadership is also likely to decide on the schedule for electing the new Congress chief.

    The party, in its CWC meeting, held on January 22 had decided that the Congress would have an elected president by June 2021, but the same was deferred at the May 10 CWC meet in the wake of the COVID-19 situation.

    The latest meeting is being held in the wake of Lakhimpur clashes on October 3 in which eight people lost their lives, including four farmers who were allegedly run over by an SUV belonging to the convoy of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra.

    The incident has given enough ammo to the Congress to corner the BJP government and recapture the lost political space.

    The CWC meeting will also discuss certain dissenting notes rising within the party over the spate of defections and the party’s poor electoral fortunes.

    Sonia Gandhi took over as the interim Congress president in August 2019 after Rahul Gandhi resigned in the wake of the party’s Lok Sabha debacle in May 2019.

    There have been demands from a section of Congress leaders for having a full-time and active party president as well as an organisational overhaul.

    The demand grew louder after a storm in the party in August last year over a letter to Sonia Gandhi by a group of 23 leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari and Mukul Wasnik raising these issues.

  • SP, BSP leaders visit Lakhimpur Kheri as ground zero remains replete with political visits

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Even after four days, Lakhimpur Kheri violence remained a political flashpoint on Thursday with leaders of all political parties jostling to visit the grieving families of deceased farmers.

    In all eight persons were killed of which four were farmers, one was a journalist, and the rest three were BJP workers.

    While former UP CM and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Satish Mishra went to Lakhimpur Kheri, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra went to Nanpara in Bahraich district to meet the farmers’ families. Priyanka, accompanied by brother Rahul and six other Congress leaders, had visited the victim families in Lakhimpur Kheri on Wednesday.

    Raising the pitch of justice for the victim families, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed doubts over the intent of the dispensation saying that how justice could be ensured when the main accused was the son of a union minister.

    ALSO READ | Hours after decrying Lakhimpur deaths, Varun Gandhi, mom Maneka shown the door from BJP National Executive

    He said that the Union minister’s son was not yet arrested in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case even though evidence pointed to his role in the incident. “As fingers are raised towards MoS (Ajay Mishra) in the BJP government, the accused in the Lakhimpur case are not yet sent to jail,” said Yadav.

    The SP chief also used the opportunity to launch a broadside on the BJP government over the Kanpur trader’s killing in Gorakhpur. “We want to know what was done in the Kanpur Manish Gupta case. Why are policemen still absconding? Why an absconding IPS officer is not arrested?”

    ALSO READ | Lakhimpur Kheri violence: UP Police arrests two, says main accused Ashish Mishra next

    Even Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi sought justice for the victim families of Bahraich. BSP’s SC Mishra said that the state government had failed to deliver justice in the case.

    On the other, Punjab state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was taken into custody in Saharanpur and taken to Sarsawa Air Force station while he was leading a protest march with a huge crowd of Congress workers to Lakhimpur Kheri.

    The party members accompanying Sidhu were also taken into custody. Hundreds of supporters gathered at the UP-Haryana border to march with Sidhu. Another delegation led by Uttarakhand Congress leaders including Harish Rawat and Ganesh Godiyal were also taken into custody in Saharanpur.

  • Ajay Mishra’s rise from being Zila Panchayat member to Modi minister

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Ajay Mishra, the sitting MP from Lakhimpur Kheri and junior home minister in Modi cabinet has been in the eye of storm since Sunday after eight persons, including four farmers, were killed in violence in his constituency.

    The high point of the incident is that Mishra’s younger son Ashish is the main accused in the case lodged by the farmers. They alleged that he had run his SUV over a group of protestors mowing down two on the spot.

    Ajay Mishra was inducted into the Modi cabinet in the latest reshuffle in July and is the only Brahmin face from Uttar Pradesh.

    Just a few weeks after his induction into the Union Cabinet, Mishra had challenged the veracity of the ongoing farmers’ protest over three contentious farm laws saying that it was more of a political show of 10-15 farmers. He had claimed that he was able to end the agitation in no time. This statement of Ajay Mishra had irked the farmers and a tussle had set off.

    On tracking Ajay Mishra’s journey from being a student leader in Lakhimpur Kheri to Modi cabinet, it comes out that belonging to a Brahmin family of UP’s largest district, he started as an independent Zila Panchayat member in 2009.

    In due course, he joined the saffron bandwagon and got a party ticket from the Nighasan assembly segment in Lakhimpur Kheri in the 2012 polls. Mishra won the seat with a respectable margin. Two years later in 2014, the BJP gave him a ticket to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Lakhimpur Kheri which he won for his party and repeated his performance in 2019.

    ALSO READ | Lakhimpur Kheri violence: UP Police arrests two, says main accused Ashish Mishra next

    Besides having clout among the Brahmins, who are a dominant community in Lakhimpur, Mishra got overwhelming support from Kurmis, another dominant community in the district. The Kurmi support to Mishra is attributed to his ‘political guru’ former UP minister and senior BJP leader Ram Kumar Verma. Verma had nurtured Mishra since Zila panchayat polls in 2009.

    The local sources of Lakhimpur claim that Mishra is a popular leader in the district. Holding frequent ‘Janata Darshans,’  Mishra, believed to be sensitive to people’s problems, delivers justice on spot resolving the issues.

    People also attribute his rise in the party despite belonging neither to RSS nor being a grassroots cadre of the party to his caste. People in Lakhimpur believe that Mishra capitalise at a time when the party was looking for a Brahmin face to give a ticket.

    Allegedly short-tempered, Mishra has a history on the crime front as well. As per the local BJP sources, he is believed to be a strongman of the district more so after getting a berth in the Modi cabinet.

    However, in 1996 a history sheet was opened against Mishra at Tikunia police station but it was closed a few months later. Before that in 1990, a case was lodged against Mishra 1990 under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code.

    In 2000, he was named in a murder case in Lakhimpur Kheri and was acquitted in 2004. It is still pending in High Court as the kin of the deceased had challenged the sessions court order.

    As far as Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish is concerned, he sought a BJP ticket in 2017 but was denied. At present, Ashish looks after the rice mill and petrol pumps owned by the family in Lakhimpur Kheri.

    However, the sources claimed that Ajay Mishra, who now wants a party ticket for his son Ashish,  pushes him on public platforms making him deliver speeches during the rallies.

  • Hours after decrying Lakhimpur deaths, Varun Gandhi, mom Maneka shown the door from BJP National Executive

    By Agencies

    Varun Gandhi, who has been vocal in condemning the Lakhimpur Kheri Violence, was dropped from BJP National Executive on Thursday.

    Both Varun, MP from Pilibhit constituency, and his mother and MP Maneka Gandhi were dropped from the party’s National Executive.

    In a series of tweets, Varun Gandhi condemned the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people were crushed to death by a speeding car that belonged to MoS for Home Ajay Mishra’s son.

    “The video is crystal clear. Protestors cannot be silenced through murder. There has to be accountability for the innocent blood of farmers that has been spilled and justice must be delivered before a message of arrogance and cruelty enters the minds of every farmer,” the Pilibhit MP said in a tweet.

    The BJP MP demanded justice for the farmers who were killed in the violence.A total of eight people including four farmers died in the violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3.

    The BJP on Thursday announced the 80-member National Executive of the party, with the names of its top brass, ranging from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to many Union ministers, several state leaders and veterans like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi. 

    Former Union ministers like Harsh Vardhan, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar also remain the members of the national executive.

    ​(Inputs from PTI)

  • Sitting SC, HC judge should probe Lakhimpur violence, not one who is retired: Priyanka Gandhi

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday demanded a probe by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or a high court into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and said Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra, whose son is among those booked, should resign to ensure an impartial probe.

    Priyanka Gandhi, who had on Wednesday met the families of three of the eight people killed in the violence, told reporters here, “In my view and that of the victims’ families as well, the case should be probed by a sitting Supreme Court or high court judge, and not the retired judge.”

    The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a one-member commission of retired high court judge Pradeep Kumar Srivastava to probe the violence during a farmers’ protest rally that claimed eight lives on Sunday.

    ALSO READ | Lakhimpur violence: SC asks Yogi government to explain whether accused have been arrested

    Before leaving for Bahraich, Priyanka Gandhi said, “I don’t want to comment on the probe as it has not started yet. But I can say that for unbiased probe, the minister should resign as he has the Home portfolio and all this comes under him.”

    The Congress leader said the families of the victims she had met told her that they were not interested in the compensation announced by the government, but “want justice”.

    The minister should be “sacked” and those involved in the act should be arrested.

    “All the police force was deployed to stop us and it surrounded victims’ families so that no one could reach there to meet them. But you (government) did not deploy your force to arrest the criminal. Where was the police on the day the incident took place. Is police only to stop leaders,” she said.

    ​VIEW GALLERY | ‘Fascism’, ‘Jallianwala Bagh’, ‘Hitler’: Lakhimpur Kheri farmers’ killing leads to strong reactions by Opposition leaders

    She alleged that the copies of post-mortems given to the families of the dead were illegible.

    “I will continue my fight till the minister is sacked and his son is arrested. I have pledged this before the families,” she said.

    The Uttar Pradesh Police has lodged a case against the minister’s son Ashish Mishra in connection with the violence, but no arrest has been made yet.

    Four of the dead were farmers, allegedly knocked down by vehicles driven by BJP workers travelling to welcome Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to an event in the area.

    The other four were two BJP workers, a driver of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra, and Raman Kashyap, a journalist working for a private TV channel.

    While the first three were allegedly lynched by the agitating farmers, the scribe, according to his father, died after being hit by a vehicle when he was covering news of farmers’ protest against Maurya’s visit to Ajay Kumar Mishra’s native place.

  • Trinamool MPs ‘dodge’ police, meet kin of farmers killed in Lakhimpur violence

    By PTI

    LAKHIMPUR KHERI: A delegation of TMC MPs on Tuesday met families of farmers killed in the Lakhimpur violence, claiming that they dodged policemen by posing as tourists.

    The TMC delegation comprised MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sushmita Dev, Abir Ranjan Biswas, Pratima Mondal and Dola Sen.

    While on their way, the UP Police tried to stop them, the TMC leaders claimed in a statement.

    They posed as tourists on being stopped by police, claimed the MPs of the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

    Dola Sen said they were trying to reach Lakhimpur Kheri since Sunday and they could reach there two days later.

    Dastidar and Dev went to Palia tehsil of the district to meet the kin of Lavpreet Singh (19) while others travelled to Dhaurahra tehsil to meet relatives of Nachatar Singh.

    Both were cremated during the day at their native places.

    Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev, who recently switched over to the TMC from the Congress, said, “Heartbreaking to meet the family of the young farmer who was crushed to death in Lakhimpur Kheri.”

    “AITC chairperson Mamata Banerjee stands with the farmers to repeal the black laws and stop these brutal injustices. She fought in Singur and assured to continue fighting for farmers of India,” the MP added.

    Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said, “The accused is the son of a politician but he has killed someone and he must be penalised. India is a democratic country but democracy is missing for the last few years.”

    “The BJP is ruling like an autocratic government. They are putting everyone behind the bars except the accused and killing whosoever they want. PM Modi is in Lucknow, why didn’t he visit Lakhimpur-Kheri,” Dastidar said.

  • Lakhimpur violence: Why no action against Union minister’s son yet, asks Opposition

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Even after 72 hours of the violence that broke out in Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday, not a single arrest has been made.

    Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra – charged with murder and rioting the FIR in connection with the violence – has not yet been arrested. This has been the common refrain of the opposition leaders.

    A top cop of UP police attributed the inaction in the case to pre-occupation wherein the police administration was busy with negotiations, the autopsy of bodies, and then cremation.

    “Initially, we were busy with negotiations with farmers and then getting the post-mortem examinations done and then getting the cremations of the bodies,” said SN Sabat, ADG, Lucknow Zone.

    While the farmers, who were protesting against the visit of state’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya on Sunday, alleged that Ashish Mishra was at the wheels of an SUV that ran over a group of protestors, killing four people and injuring several others which led to further violence resulting in the death of three BJP workers, a driver of the minister and a journalist Raman Kashyap, Union minister Ajay Mishra offered to resign from his ministerial position if his son’s involvement and his presence at the violence site was proved.

    ALSO READ | Punjab Congress will march to Lakhimpur Kheri if Priyanka Gandhi isn’t released: Navjot Singh Sidhu

    Ajay Mishra had acknowledged the accident but said the vehicle overturned, crushing the protesters who were throwing stones at the cavalcade.

    The farmers have also alleged that one of the four people had died of bullet wounds, demanding that a second post-mortem be conducted at a Delhi hospital. The body has not been cremated yet, even though the funeral of the other three farmers was conducted on Tuesday afternoon.

    Opposition leaders have repeatedly questioned the police inaction against the main accused named in the FIR and whose vehicle was ploughed into the group of protestors.

    “Where is Ashish Mishra? Why is he not being arrested? It was unfortunate that even after 72 hours, the man who is named as the main accused in the violence in the FIR done by the farmers’ is still comfortably out of the police net. A protest in which black flags would be shown to BJP leaders peacefully, turned into a hotbed of violence within no time,” said a senior SP leader adding that the present scenario was a reflection of lawlessness and high handedness of the administration.

    While arrested Congress leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Deependar Hooda questioned why the main accused Ashish Mishra was roaming free in Lakhimpur despite being named in the FIR, his father claimed that let the police investigate the case and gather proof against Ashish, then the action would follow.

     However, Abdul Hafiz Gandhi, the SP leader said that first of all Ashish should be taken into custody, and if the probe has to be free and fair carrying credibility, then the union minister should quit his ministerial post.

    The SP leader also criticised the Yogi government for cordoning off the trouble-torn district and restricting the entry of political leaders. “What did they want to hide.  Why such a blanket lockdown for the political leaders only. Were the people in Lakhimpur not allowed movement in the aftermath of the incident?” he asked.