Two farmers who participated in the protests in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 have been arrested. The violence that followed the protests left eight people, including four farmers, two BJP workers, their driver, and a journalist dead.
A six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) which was formed on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government to probe the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, arrested the two protesters — Gurvinder Singh and Vichitra Singh yesterday on October 26. The duo were sent to 14-day judicial custody at the Lakhimpur district Jail.
So far, 15 people have been arrested in relation to the killings on October 3. The arrested individuals include Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra — the prime accused in the case.
The arrests of two protesters were made in connection with a case lodged under Indian Penal Code Sections 147, 323, 324, 336 and 302 on the complaint of BJP worker Sumit Jaiswal, also an accused.
On October 4, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered on the complaint of a local farmer Jagjeet Singh against Ashish Mishra accusing him for murder and conspiracy. The FIR noted that he was sitting on the left side of the vehicle and mowed down the protesting farmers. A viral video, reportedly from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, shows an SUV running over a group of protesting farmers who were walking on the road holding flags.
A second FIR on the complaint of Jaiswal was registered in connection to the case on October 4. Jaiswal stated that some anti-social elements present among the protesting farmers had set the SUV ablaze and lynched three BJP workers, including the driver of one of the vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government, represented by senior advocates Harish Salve and Garima Prasad, to grant protection to witnesses of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case and that their statements should be recorded expeditiously.
A bench comprising the Chief Justice NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, was informed that statements of 30 out of the 68 witnesses have been recorded under Section 164.
The apex court also expressed surprise that only 23 eyewitnesses have been traced out of the gathering of hundreds of protesters on October 3.
“Your case and other’s case is that there were hundreds of farmers…out of them only 23 witnesses?” asked the CJI.
The bench also asked the forensic laboratories to expedite the examination of the video evidence of the case.
Meanwhile, yesterday on October 26, Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a farmers body, has written to President Ramnath Kovind, demanding immediate arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra in connection of murder and conspiracy.
