Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, drove into the gathering of protesting farmers, gun blazing. One farmer died, read the First Information Report, which was released this evening by the Uttar Pradesh police.
“The act (mowing down the farmers) was a well-planned conspiracy by the minister and his son,” the FIR read. Ashish Mishra, accused of murder and negligence in the FIR, is yet to be arrested. The police have attributed the delay to their fixation with multiple issues, including “negotiations with farmers, postmortems and cremations”.
A day after violence unfolded at a protest site killing eight people, including four farmers, in Lakhimpur Kheri, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that a retired High Court judge would probe the case.
It also announced Rs 45 lakh compensation for the kin of the farmers killed in the incident, while Rs 10 lakh will go to those injured in the violence.
On Sunday, eight people were massacred in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri after a fleet of three SUVs, involving one owned by Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, hit a group of anti-farm law protesters, leading to a clash. Mishra’s son Ashish was driving one of the SUVs, claimed protesters.
Congress Requires Removal of Ajay Mishra as Minister Of State
The Congress demanded the immediate release of Ajay Mishra as Union Minister of State for Home and his son’s arrest. The latter has been named in an FIR registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
“We demand that Union minister Ajay Mishra should be immediately dismissed from his post and his son arrested forthwith. We also demand that the minister should be booked for the same offence as his son as he is trying to protect him,” news agency PTI quoted Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as saying.
The party also demanded enhanced compensation of Rs one crore for each of the farmers killed.
CM And Deputy CM Of Punjab Denied Entry To Visit Lakhimpur Kheri
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his deputy Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa were denied permission to visit Lakhimpur Kheri by the Uttar Pradesh government.
The Government cited the imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibits the gathering of more than five people, as the reason behind the refusal.
The state’s Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who holds the home portfolio, was detained by UP police at the Saharanpur border.
A spokesperson said that the Punjab Civil Aviation Director had written to the Uttar Pradesh authorities seeking permission to land the CM’s chopper at Lakhimpur Kheri.
However, the official said the Uttar Pradesh Secretary (Home) informed the Punjab Civil Aviation Director that it is not feasible to permit them to the chief minister and his deputy, keeping the law-and-order situation.
Will The Parties Be Affected By This?
If you look at the viewpoints, it is yet to be clear what the victims came across. Whether it’s a conspiracy or not, we will have to wait for accurate results and evidence. Summarizing from the points that join the dots, here is a quick recap of what prevailed before the victims.
Ashish Mishra, the suspect of murder and neglect in the FIR, is yet to be arrested. The police have been concerned about the delay to their being engrossed with multiple issues, involving “negotiations with farmers, autopsies and burials”.
The FIR, grounded on a grievance by farmers, said they were having a quiet black flag protest on Sunday, hopeful to stop the official visit of the union minister and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya to the area.
The unpleasant incident occurred around 3 pm when Ashish Mishra moved towards Banwaripur meeting place with his three vehicles. Perched on the left-hand side of his Thar Mahindra, Ashish fired at the crowd, and the car mowed into people.
The minister’s son then got off and fled into the sugarcane field, continuing to fire from his gun.
Five individuals had died in this suspected attack, which sparked violence and arson by the furious farmers. The carnage cost another three lives. The postmortem examination report of the people who initially died lists the cause of death as injuries, shock, and internal bleeding.
After days of debates, three of the bodies were incinerated after the police agreed to conduct a second postmortem examination of the suspected gunshot victim. The farmers were holding out for postmortem assessment at a Delhi hospital but have decided to have it at Bahraich.
The investigation, however, will be conducted by doctors from Lucknow. Ajay Mishra, junior minister for home affairs in the central Government, and his son have denied that they were at the site. The minister, though, has acknowledged being the owner of the car.
