Junior Union Home Minister Ajay Mishra's son, accused in a murder case, today surrendered at a local court in Uttar Pradesh. He has been sent back to the Lakhimpur prison. The Supreme Court had last week cancelled his bail and given him a week to surrender.
"Ashish has surrendered in the court. We were given a week's time but as Monday was the last day, he surrendered a day ahead," Ashish Mishra's counsel Awadesh Singh told news agency PTI. Jail Superintendent PP Singh said he will be kept in a separate barrack at the jail due to security reasons.
Ashish Mishra is accused of running over farmers with an SUV during a protest demonstration against the now-repealed contentious farm laws. He has been charged with the murder of farmers and a journalist after he allegedly ran over them with his vehicle.
Ashish Mishra was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in February this year. The Supreme Court last week cancelled his bail and has allowed him to approach the Allahabad High Court again.
"The denial of victims' right to be heard and the tearing hurry shown by the High Court merits the setting aside of the bail order," the Supreme Court had said while cancelling the bail last week. The top court added that the FIR "cannot be treated as an encyclopaedia of events" and that judicial precedents were ignored.
Witnesses in the high profile case have alleged that they were attacked and threatened not to testify.
On April 12, Hardeep Singh said he was attacked by a group of people on Sunday in the Rampur district over his role as a witness in the case. The police, however, contested the charge, saying they had not found any link to the case.
Mr Singh was the second witness in the Lakhimpur Kheri case to allege an attack on him. A witness was attacked in March and attackers had issued threats citing the BJP's victory in the recent UP election, farmers groups had alleged, saying Ashish Mishra's bail must be cancelled as he is a threat to witnesses.
Eight people died in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3. After four farmers and a journalist were crushed by the convoy of the Union Minister's son, three more, including BJP workers, were killed in violence that broke out later.
The Supreme Court had asked the state government to ensure the safety of witnesses.
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