Are the Lakhimpur Violence Accused Arrested?” SC, Ashish Mishra “Summoned for Questioning: UP Police

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Oct 7: Pressurised by the Supreme Court asking the Uttar Pradesh government to submit the status report within 24 hours giving the names of the accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and whether they had been arrested, the UP police on Thursday said Ashish Mishra, the son of the union minister of state for home, Ajay Mishra, had been “summoned for questioning.”

The Lucknow range IG Laxmi Singh told media persons that Ashish Mishra had been “summoned for questioning” in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. “We have summoned him (Ashish Mishra) for questioning. We will record his statement, on the basis of which we will collect evidence.” Two other people are also being quizzed, she added.

On October 3, the convoy of Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra’s son allegedly ran over protesting farmers, killing four. Four more people were reported dead in the violence that followed.

This followed the Supreme Court asking the UP government to file a status report regarding the accused in the Lakhimpur violence case and whether any action had been taken against them. “We need to know who are the accused against whom you have registered FIR & whether you have arrested them or not,” the court said Thursday. It gave the government 24 hours to file the report and fixed the next hearing on Friday. The UP government’s advocate told the court that she would try the government to file the report by Thursday evening itself.

Instilling a sense of urgency in the State Government, The SC bench headed by the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana also asked the government to facilitate immediate medical care for the mother of a 19-year-old boy who was among the four farmers allegedly mowed down by the motorcade.

“While hearing this case now we got a message that the mother of one of people who died is in a state of shock over the loss of her son and needs immediate medical attention… We want you to get her admitted at the nearest hospital,” the court addressed the Additional Advocate General Garima Prashad, for the State.

Ms. Prashad said it would be done immediately while describing the Lakhimpur Kheri incident as “extreme, unfortunate”.

“We also feel the same way,” Chief Justice Ramana said. “But we want to know who are the accused in the FIR and whether they have been arrested or not,” Justice Surya Kant, on the Bench, told the state government.

Chief Justice Ramana said the status report should contain details of the eight persons killed in the incident. News reports said four of the deceased were farmers mowed down by a vehicle which was part of the convoy of Ajay Mishra. Ms. Prashad said the State Government had constituted a Special Investigating Team and a judicial inquiry had begun. An FIR had been registered and the investigation was on.

“But the grievance here is your investigation is not proper,” the CJI said. The Chief Justice was referring to a letter written by two lawyers, advocates Shivkumar Tripathi and C.S. Panda, based on which the court had taken cognisance of the Lakhimpur Kheri case.

Close on the heels of the Lakhimpur incident, the farmers have alleged another “intentional car accident” involving another BJP Member of Parliament in Haryana. The farmers alleged one person was injured after a vehicle in a convoy carrying BJP MP Nayab Saini hit a group of people who had gathered to protest against the centre’s farm laws.

The injured farmer was admitted to a government hospital in Naraingarh near Ambala, where the incident took place. He has been released after treatment, and told reporters he was standing by the side of the road when he was knocked over by the vehicle following that in which the MP was seated. The farmers have called for a FIR filed against the vehicle’s driver, and have threatened to gherao, or surround, the police station on October 10 if this is not done.

“A programme was organised on behalf of the Saini community to reward those who contributed to the fight against Covid… the event was scheduled to begin at 10 am. Then we got information farmers were gathering to create a disturbance,” Sub Inspector Dhoom Singh said. “We got to know they were trying to break barricades to enter the event venue. After the event got over, the minister headed to the next event. We will investigate the matter and action will be taken against whoever is responsible – farmers or anyone else,” he added.

Nayab Saini, the Kurukshetra MP, and other party leaders, including Haryana’s Mining and Transport Minister, Mool Chand Sharma, who was the Chief Guest, were inside attending the event. As the event concluded, and the convoy of cars exited the area, one of the vehicles allegedly hit the farmer; a large group had gathered outside to protest the BJP leaders’ visit. The BJP leader, however, has denied that his car hit any farmer.

Ajay Mishra, the father of the Lakhimpur Kheri accused Ashish Mishra, who called on his cabinet minister Amit Shah on Wednesday has consistently concede the opposition demand that he should resign to ensure a fair probe into the incident against his son. Both Ajay Mishra and Ashish Mishra have denied any involvement with the deaths of the farmers.

Meanwhile, The Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu and a few other Congress leaders, who were part of a vehicle march to Lakhimpur Kheri, have been detained at Shahjahanpur police picket after their convoy was stopped at Haryana-UP border. Before leaving for Lakhimpur Kheri, Sidhu said, “If the accused (in the case) is not arrested or does not join the investigation, I will sit on an indefinite hunger strike, wherever I am.”

In yet another development, which the BJP leaders claimed was a “routine affair” and no co-incidence, the Gandhis in the party, Maneka and her son Varun, were dropped from the party’s national executive along with another critic of the party’s economic policies Subramaniam Swamy. Varun Gandhi had strongly criticized the Lakhimpur Kheri incident stating that mowing down of the farmers by the cars “had shaken the souls.”

Maneka and Varun did not find their names in the first list of 80-member BJP national executive. The party brushed off the omission — sources said such rejigs are a “routine exercise”.

Varun Gandhi happened to be the only BJP leader to flag the issue. “There are other senior leaders from UP who have become part of the council in their place. There are at least ten. They must have lost their utility or relevance. We have seen the statements of the son on various occasions. It is after all the party’s decision,” the BJP leaders said. Other leaders apparently acknowledged that the Pilibhit MP’s stance did not go down well with the top leadership.

“He projected as if the entire fault lies at the doorsteps of the leaders. We are awaiting the investigation report and believe that incident was unfortunate. He should have been patient at a time when the entire opposition is targeting the party,” the BJP leaders said. Varun Gandhi has been consistently speaking in support of farmers during their ongoing stir against the Centre’s new farm laws. His mother Maneka Gandhi has also been sympathetic to the farmers’ cause. Former Union minister Birender Singh, who was also seen as sympathetic, has been dropped as executive member. So has Subramanian Swamy, who was seen as being critical of the party of late.

On Tuesday, Varun Gandhi had tweeted a rather grainy video of a black SUV ploughing through a group of peaceful protesters from behind. Four farmers had died, another four lives were lost in the subsequent violence and arson. Calling it “murder”, Varun Gandhi said the video was enough to “shake the soul.” On Wednesday, tweeting what he called a “crystal clear” version of the same video, Varun Gandhi had called for “accountability for the innocent blood of farmers.”

“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,” he posted on Twitter. He has also written to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, asking  for a CBI probe and ₹ 1 crore compensation for the families of the dead farmers.

The new video shows no stones or sticks being thrown by farmers, as claimed by the Union minister. Coming from behind, the speeding car is seen ploughing through protesters who had their backs to the vehicle. It did not stop even when several bodies landed on the bonnet, and was gone within seconds, even before shocked onlookers could cry out. Both Ajay Mishra and his son have denied that they were present at the spot, though the minister had admitted that the SUV belonged to his family.

Meanwhile, the UP government has appointed Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, a retired Allahabad High Court judge, to investigate the death of eight persons in the Lakhimpur incident. In a notification issued by the state home department, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi said the one-man commission has to complete the enquiry within two months from the date of the issue of the notification.  The Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi had demanded that a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court should be asked to conduct the judicial inquiry.