On a petition calling for action in the killing of farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri, the Supreme Court today asked the state government to report by tomorrow how many have been arrested.
The court asked the government to file a status report tomorrow specifying action taken and the eight who were killed on Sunday during a protest against Union Minister Ajay Mishra's visit.
The Uttar Pradesh government today announced that a single-member Commission of Enquiry, headed by retired High Court Judge Pradeep Kumar Srivastava will probe Sunday's violence in Lakhimpur Kheri district that led to the death of eight people, including four farmers.
The violence in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri, that left eight people including four farmers dead - triggering a major political row over the alleged involvement of a union minister's son, was taken up by a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice NV Ramana today.
The court has decided to take up the case amid a growing outcry over the Uttar Pradesh police's handling of the investigation, media reports and a letter written to the Chief Justice by two lawyers from the state.
The letter had called for a CBI probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Varun Gandhi today called for "accountability for the innocent blood of farmers" as he tweeted a longer and better quality video that reveals what happened at UP's Lakhimpur Kheri earlier this week - when a black SUV (confirmed by Union Minister Ajay Mishra as belonging to his family) ploughed through a group of farmers holding a peaceful protest.
Farmers have vowed to intensify their months-long movement against laws aimed at liberalising agriculture as tension flared after the eight people were killed in clashes between protesters and ruling party supporters on Sunday.
Four of the eight were killed when a car belonging to Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra's son Ashish crashed into protesters in Uttar Pradesh state, protest leaders said. And yet four days later, despite being named in a police complaint, he was yet to be arrested.