The Supreme Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file a status report by tomorrow, October 8, including details of the accused named in the First Information Report (FIR) and if they have been arrested, in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. The state government has assured to file the report by tomorrow.

In the hearing led by Chief Justice NV Ramana today on October 7, the senior advocate Garima Prashad appearing for Uttar Pradesh was told to file the status report.

“The entire incident will be properly looked into. Investigation is proceeding. We will file a report. FIR is there. Commission of inquiry has been formed,” said Prashad.

The senior advocate also termed the Lakhimpur Kheri violence as an ‘unfortunate’ incident. Matter will be taken up again tomorrow.

Four days back on October 3, eight people — four farmers, two BJP workers, a driver, and a journalist Raman Kashyap — were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri.

The FIR dated October 4 filed by the farmers reads that the accused Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra, was seated on left in his four wheeler Thar. “He was firing and mowed down the crowd” reads the FIR against the Union minister’s son.

Meanwhile, after the cremation of BJP member Shubham Mishra on October 4, his father Vijay Mishra filed an application for another FIR at Thana Kotwali, Tikunia. In the FIR application, Vijay Mishra recounted the events as told to him by two eye-witnesses, Luvkush and Ashish Pandey from Banipur, who claimed they saw the lynching of Shubham and the driver Hariom.

Also Read: BJP member Shubham Mishra was lynched at Lakhimpur Kheri, says his family

Although the apex court has directed the state government to identify the accused, a viral video, reportedly from Lakhimpur Kheri shows an SUV running over a group of people walking on the road holding flags. 

The video shows the SUV coming with speed and ramming into the protesters, followed by two more cars. This is followed by people running helter-skelter and some of them running after the convoy with wooden sticks.

Also Read: New viral video shows SUV running over people in Lakhimpur Kheri

Protesters have said that the vehicle belonged to the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra ‘Teni’ at whose native village Tikunia a wrestling match was organised on October 3 and Uttar Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya was visiting the annual dangal event.

Farmers in the area had gathered there to protest against the three central farm laws and an earlier purportedly inflammatory speech by ‘Teni’.

The police have not yet certified the authenticity of the viral video. Gaon Connection has also not independently verified the video.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh government today announced that a single-member Commission of Enquiry, headed by retired High Court Judge Pradeep Kumar Srivastava will probe Lakhimpur Kheri violence that led to the death of eight people.

The state government’s notification dated October 6 stated that the Commission shall complete the enquiry within a period of two months from the date of the issue of this notification.