Lakhimpur Kheri: Almost three months after eight people were killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a 5,000 page chargesheet accusing union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish as one of the accused.
Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi attacked the union government for protecting the minister.
“False apology, and electoral steps like repeal of the laws cannot cover the anti-farmer thinking of Modiji. They are the protectors, but they are standing with the attackers. The chargesheet in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre shows son of the Union Minister of State for Home is the main accused in the incident,” Priyanka said in a tweet.
“But because of the protection of Narendra Modiji, Ajay Mishra Teni is continuing on his post,” she said.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi meanwhile said, “The whole country has seen the truth of the 5000-page chargesheet in the form of a video, yet the Modi government is trying to save the accused.”
On October 3 last year, four farmers and a journalist were killed in Tikunia village, after being mowed down by vehicles belonging to the Minister’s convoy. Three BJP workers were killed in retaliation by a mob that became furious after seeing the farmers die.
In the chargesheet spread over 5,000 pages, the prosecution has added a name in the list of accused.
In the chargesheet, 14 people have been accused including Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra. The prosecution has added the name of Virendra Shukla, a confidant of Ajay Mishra, and charged him under section 201 of the Indian Penal Code, prosecution lawyer S P Yadav said.
So far 13 accused, including Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, have been arrested. While Ashish Mishra was arrested on October 10, Lavkush and Ashish Pandey, his close aides, were taken into custody on October 7. Both are in judicial custody.
Ashish Mishra’s involvement led to attacks on the BJP ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Political parties have been demanding the resignation of Minister Ajay Mishra.
Ashish Mishra and his associates are accused of firing and mowing down the farmers under the wheels of a jeep.
The charges against the accused include attempt to murder and voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means.
