News Analysis India

Tag: up police

  • Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Accused Sumit Jaiswal, 3 others arrested

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: In the latest development, Lakhimpur Kheri Police and the SWAT team of the crime branch on Monday arrested four more persons including Sumit Jaiswal alias Modi in connection with the violence that claimed eight lives on October 3.

    The other three persons arrested in connection with the case are Shishupal, Nandan Singh Bisht, and Satya Prakash Tripathi. With the arrest of four more persons, the total number of persons arrested so far in connection with the case rises to 10.

    At the time of arrest, the SWAT team recovered and seized a licensed revolver and three bullets from the possession of Satya Prakash Tripathi, said the police sources.

    The police had been looking for Sumit Jaiswal who was seen in one of the videos fleeing the Thar Mahindra SUV that allegedly had mowed down the protesting farmers. Jaiswal had got the cross FIR lodged against the farmers for the lynching of three persons.

    Meanwhile, Ashish Mishra and his co-accused Ankit Das, Latif aka Kale, and Das’s driver Shekhar Bharti have been sent to Lakhimpur district jail after the completion of their respective police remand. All the accused have been kept in separate cells in the jail.

    The sources claimed that the SIT probing into the violence has got around 135 video clips from different sources so far. Moreover, photos and CCTV footage have also been received by the SIT which is investigating all the angles by joining the series of events that led to violence. 

    On the other, MoS Ajay Mishra Teni held the local police responsible for the incident. He said while visiting one of the families of the victim BJP workers that it was the laxity on the part of the district administration that led to such an incident. The minister claimed that a CBI probe would be undertaken keeping the DM, SP, and other officials under scanner in the case.

  • ‘Rail Roko’ protest: Farmers block train traffic in Punjab, demand justice in Lakhimpur violence case

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Farmers in Punjab squatted on rail tracks on Monday morning as part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s six-hour ‘rail roko’ protest demanding the dismissal and arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri.

    A railway official said four sections of the Ferozepur division were blocked by the protesters.

    The Ferozepur-Fazilka section in Ferozepur city and the Ferozepur-Ludhiana section at Ajitwal in Moga were affected, the official said.

    ​ALSO READ | Lakhimpur incident: SKM to hold ‘Rail Roko’ on October 18 to demand dismissal, arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra

    Demanding the arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher, on Monday, said the KMSC will hold protests at 20 places in 11 districts of the state.

    In a statement, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions spearheading the agitation against the Centre’s three agri laws, had said “protests will be intensified until justice is secured” in the Lakhimpur Kheri case.

    During the ‘rail roko’ protest, all train traffic will be stopped from 10 am till 4 pm on Monday, the SKM had said.

    “To press for its demand for MoS Home Ajay Mishra’s dismissal and arrest, so that justice can be secured in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre, Samyukt Kisan Morcha has announced a nation-wide Rail Roko programme.”

    ALSO READ | Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Cong slams PM Modi for not removing Union minister despite son’s arrest

    “SKM put out a call to its constituents to stop rail traffic for six hours on October 18 between 10 am and 4 pm. The SKM asks for this action to be taken up peacefully, without any destruction and damage of any kind to any railway property,” it had said.

    Four of the eight people who died in the violence on October 3 were farmers, allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers.

    Haryana | Protestors block railway tracks at Bahadurgarh in protest against Lakhimpur Kheri incidentSamyukta Kisan Morcha has called for nationwide ‘Rail roko’ in protest against the incident pic.twitter.com/Ucvmfq6PcM
    — ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2021
    Angry farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles.

    The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver.

    Farmers have claimed that Ashish Mishra was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and Ajay Mishra who say they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time.

    Ashish Mishra was arrested in the case on October 9.

  • Key accused in Dalit woman’s gangrape in UP’s Jewar arrested 

    By PTI

    NOIDA: Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar district on Wednesday said they have arrested the key accused in a case of gangrape of a 55-year-old Dalit woman in Jewar three days ago.

    The woman was allegedly raped by four men, who dragged her to the open fields near her village at gunpoint and took turns to force themselves on her on Sunday morning.

    One of the accused was arrested on Monday.

    The incident has snowballed into a political controversy with opposition parties such as the BSP and the Congress hitting out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the issue of women safety.

    “Accused Mahendra was arrested on Wednesday from a spot near his village in Jewar. He was picked up by a joint team of the Jewar police, the Special Operations Group and the SWAT,” a police spokesperson said.

    “A reward of Rs 25,000 was announced on information leading to the arrest of Mahendra in the wake of the incident in which another person has already been arrested and sent to jail,” he added.

    An FIR in connection with the incident has been lodged under Indian Penal Code sections 376D (gangrape), 352 (punishment for assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation) and 506 (criminal intimidation), police said.

    Sections under the stringent Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 have also been invoked in the case, they added.

    Mahendra, according to the police, was also booked for house trespassing and theft in the past. He is the only named accused in the FIR.

    Of the three other accused, one was arrested on Monday after the rape survivor identified him from a picture shown to her by the police.

  • One more policeman arrested in Gorakhpur for killing of Kanpur businessman 

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: One more policeman wanted in connection with the killing of Kanpur-based businessman Manish Gupta was arrested from Gorakhpur on Wednesday, officials said.

    Head Constable Kamlesh Kumar Yadav was arrested on a tip off when he was going to surrender in the court, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said.

    On Tuesday, the police had arrested sub-inspector Rahul Dubey and constable Prashant Kumar while on Sunday inspector J N Singh and sub-inspector Akshay Mishra, who were both under suspension, were arrested by police.

    Gupta, a 36-year-old property dealer, was allegedly thrashed by policemen in a Gorakhpur hotel last month, leading to his death.

    The Kanpur Police had initially announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for information leading to the arrest of the six policemen allegedly involved in Gupta’s killing but the amount was increased to Rs 1 lakh on Saturday.

    Six policemen were named in the FIR and five of them have been arrested till now while attempts are on to nab one Vijay Yadav, who is still absconding, police said.

  • Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Prime accused Ashish Mishra grilled as aide Ankit Das files surrender plea

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Ashish Mishra, the prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, was taken to the crime branch office by the SIT on Tuesday for interrogation. 

    Ashish, the son of junior Union Home Minister Ajay Mishra, was arrested by the SIT on Saturday night in connection with the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed. He was held and taken into custody after a 12-hour-long interrogation during which, as the DIG Upendra Agarwal said, was not cooperating and was evasive in replying to questions posed to him.

    On Monday, the police had demanded a 14-day remand of Ashish but got a three-day remand beginning October 12 and it will end on October 15, senior prosecution officer (SPO) SP Yadav had told reporters. 

    ALSO READ | Congress protests Lakhimpur Kheri violence, questions PM Modi’s silence

    Elaborate security arrangements in and around the crime branch office while Ashish was taken there for grilling, said a police source. 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 on October 3.

    Besides, four farmers, two BJP workers, and their driver were allegedly lynched by angry farmers in the incident. Local journalist Raman Kashyap also died in the violence.

    Meanwhile, in another development, Ashish Mishra’s associate Ankit Das filed a surrender application in the Chief Judicial Magistrate court on Tuesday. The court asked for a report from the police station concerned. Ankit Das is the relative of a former Congress MP, the late Akhilesh Das.

    Ankit Das’s car was part of the fleet that ran over the protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3. It is believed that he can surrender any time now. However, the UP police are conducting raids at several places to nab Das.

    Earlier on Tuesday morning, the Lakhimpur Kheri police had arrested Shekhar Bharti, the driver of Ankit Das’ car. As per the sources, Shekhar was driving ‘Fortuner’ when the incident took place.  This takes the number of people arrested so far in connection with the violence to four.

  • Hints of BJP distancing from MoS Ajay Mishra after son Ajay’s arrest in Lakhimpur violence case

    By Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: The BJP is distancing itself from Ashish Mishra after the police claimed to have collected evidence of his presence in a convoy of cars during the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3. Trying to corner BJP in this case, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra observed a silent protest on Monday demanding resignation of Ashish’s father and Union minister of state Ajay Mishra.

    The statement of Uttar Pradesh  BJP chief Swantantra Dev Singh to the party cadre that “we are not in politics to trample someone under a SUV” is being seen as an indication that the BJP doesn’t want to stand by Ajay Mishra either.

    Congress leaders are keen to turn this to their advantage. Party workers observed ‘maun vrat’ (silent protest) in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on Monday. State Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu, Legislative Party leader Aradhana Mishra, Leader in the Legislative Council Dipak Singh were among those who were later joined by Priyanka.

    Congress has maintained that Mishra should be dropped from the cabinet of ministers to ensure fair investigation. UP minister Siddharth Nath Singh, however, said law will take its own course and not be influenced by pressure.

  • Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Union minister’s son Ashish Mishra sent to 3-day police remand

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Ashish Mishra, the prime accused of Lakhimpur Kheri violence and son of junior Union minister Ajay Mishra, has been sent to three-day police remand with conditions, said SP Yadav, prosecution advocate on Monday.

    A remand petition for the police custody of Ashish was heard on Monday. He was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court after he was arrested late on Saturday night.

    On Saturday, he was grilled for around 12 hours in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight persons, including four farmers, were killed. A medical team examined Ashish Mishra in the crime branch office in Lakhimpur Kheri after which he was taken to be produced before a judicial magistrate, who sent him to custody, prosecution advocate Yadav said.

    The three conditions laid by the court for police remand include his medical check-up every time taken out for interrogation by the SIT, no torture by the cops during interrogation, and also permission to his advocate to watch him from a distance during the interrogation.

    ALSO READ | Congress leaders observe ‘Maun Vrat’ in protest against Lakhimpur Kheri violence

    Though Ashish kept insisting that he was not in the car that rammed into the protestors from behind, which led to the violence that killed eight persons, including farmers and a journalist, police authorities claimed they had evidence to show his presence at the spot. 

    It was Ashish’s Mahindra Thar SUV that mowed into the farmers around 3 pm last Sunday when farmers were protesting against the visit of UP deputy chief minister Keshav Maurya to Lakhimpur Kheri. While he ducked questions about his role in the ghastly incident, sources claimed he failed to provide satisfactory evidence about his whereabouts between 2.36 pm and 3.30 pm on that fateful Sunday. 

    Ashish claimed he was attending a dangal (wrestling match) at his ancestral village Banbirpur at that time and furnished videos and affidavits of 10 people to corroborate his claim, but the SIT was not impressed.

    “I was not present at the site of the incident,” was his standard  response to most questions, adding: “I came to know about it later.”

    But when asked about the bullet cartridges the police found in his car that were burnt by the angry protestors at the site, he was evasive. He also did not provide satisfactory answers to questions on the licensed arms he was carrying and who all were with him, sources said. The name he mentioned was of Hari Om, who, he claimed was driving the SUV.

  • Lakhimpur Kheri violence case: SIT to seek Ashish Mishra’s police remand

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW:  With the UP Police claiming that Ashish, son of Union minister Ajay Mishra and the main accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, was non-cooperative and evasive during interrogation, the kid-glove treatment he got thus far appears to be off.

    Ashish (35) was arrested after about 12 hours of interrogation and produced before a local court past Saturday midnight, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days. He is lodged in barrack 21 of the Lakhimpur district jail. 

    On Monday, a  special investigation team (SIT) led by DIG Upendra Agarwal will seek his police remand for further interrogation. Though Ashish kept insisting that he was not in the car that rammed into the protestors from behind, which led to the violence that killed eight persons, including farmers and a journalist, police authorities claimed they had evidence to show his presence at the spot. 

    It was Ashish’s Mahindra Thar SUV that mowed into the farmers around 3 pm last Sunday, when farmers were protesting against the visit of UP deputy chief minister Keshav Maurya to Lakhimpur Kheri. While he ducked questions about his role in the ghastly incident, sources claimed he failed to provide satisfactory evidence about his whereabouts between 2.36 pm and 3.30 pm on that fateful Sunday. 

    Ashish claimed he was attending a dangal (wrestling match) at his ancestral village Banbirpur at that time and furnished videos and affidavits of 10 people to corroborate his claim, but the SIT was not impressed.“I was not present at the site of incident,” was his standard  response to most questions, adding: “I came to know about it later.”

    But when asked about the bullet cartridges the police found in his car that was burnt by the angry protestors at the violence site, he was evasive. He also did not provide satisfactory answers to questions on the licensed arms he was carrying and who all were with him, sources said. The name he mentioned was of Hari Om, who, he claimed was driving the SUV.

    Priyanka blows the UP poll bugle, attacks BJPBlowing the UP poll bugle at the Kisan Nyay rally in Varanasi, Priyanka alleged that nobody, including the poor, the deprived and the downtrodden, was safe under the Modi government. She accused him of favouring a few billionaire friends 

  • Rape victim dies by suicide in Uttar Pradesh over police inaction

    By PTI

    AZAMGARH: An alleged rape victim on Saturday died by suicide here in protest against police inaction following which an SHO was suspended, officials said.

    The woman, a resident of a village under Mehnajpur police station area, was allegedly sexually assaulted recently.

    Her husband claimed that she had identified one Anil of the same village as one of the accused, but police failed to take any action in the matter, Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Singh said.

    “In-charge of the police station Chunna Singh has been suspended for negligence,” he said.

    The victim’s family alleged that they had appealed to the police many times for justice, but in vain.

    The woman reached the police station on Saturday and later consumed poison. 

    She was rushed to a hospital where was declared brought dead, the SP said.

    The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, he said.

    The police added that a case has been registered against the accused.

    (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050 (available 24×7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline – 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)

  • Congress leader Harish Rawat stopped at Bareilly on way to Lakhimpur Kheri: Police

    By PTI

    BAREILLY: Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat and others were stopped by the district administration at the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand border as they arrived here on their way to Lakhimpur Kheri to meet the families of the victims of violence during a farmers’ protest that left eight people dead.

    According to Bareilly Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rajkumar Agrawal, Rawat arrived here with a large number of people.

    The police told him that he can pass through Bareilly with his securitymen to go to Lakhimpur Kheri, but he did not agree to this.

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

    The former Uttarakhand chief minister insisted on going to Lakhimpur Kheri with his convoy and was stopped at the Baheri toll plaza, the border of Bareilly district and Uttarakhand, the SP said.

    Rawat, Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal and others sat on the highway with their supporters and raise slogans, he added.

    They made attempts to enter Bareilly but due to the deployment of heavy police force, failed, the officer said, adding that Rawat was requested to proceed only with his securitymen but he did not relent and subsequently, went back to Uttarakhand.

    Talking to reporters at the Baheri toll plaza, Rawat said, “Our struggle is dedicated to the deceased farmers.

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

    We were going to meet the families of the farmers who lost their lives in this struggle for their democratic rights but were not allowed.

    “Today, when the farmer raises his voice, he is crushed to death by a car and when (Congress leader) Priyanka Gandhi goes to meet the suffering farmers, she is arrested.

    But those who are accused of killing the farmers are yet to be arrested by the police,” he said, adding that democracy is in danger in the country.

    Whoever raises his voice for his rights will either be killed or put in jail, the Congress leader said, adding that such atrocities did not take place even during the British era.