Various political parties and farmers' outfits have expressed outrage over the killings of four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, demanding the dismissal of Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra and filing a first information report against him and his son. The protests come in the wake of violence in Lakhimpur and a video which surfaced today apparently showing an SUV running over slogan-shouting farmers marching in the area on Sunday.
The farmers have alleged that the protesters were run over by an SUV driven by Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish Mishra. Both the minister and his son have denied even being at the spot. The video, being shared widely on social media, is yet to be verified by the police.
Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in the incident on Sunday.
The incident took place when a group of protesting farmers in Tikonia area of Kheri tried to block Mr Mishra and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from visiting. The protesters were upset over a recent speech by Mr Mishra. The farmers claimed the violence broke out after a car in the minister's convoy ran over protesters. Visuals from the area showed arson and vehicles set on fire.
Hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lucknow visit, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted the viral video of the SUV running over farmers. The Congress leader also said she had been "illegally held" indefinitely by the Uttar Pradesh government for over 38 hours after she tried to visit Lakhimpur Kheri.
Here are Highlights after UP Violence In Lakhimpur Kheri:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin asserted that the complete revocation of the three farm laws brought by the Centre will alone lead to harmony in the country, as he condemned the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri, in which eight people were killed.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has spoken to some members of families of victims of Lakhimpur Kheri violence over the phone while being in detention of Uttar Pradesh police, party leader Deepender Singh Hooda has said.
Mr Hooda also said that he and other party leaders, on a visit to violence-hit Lakhimpur Kheri, got to know through media that an FIR has been filed against them and police was not sharing anything with them.
.@OnReality_Check | "Police did not add his name to FIR. They were made to add it by people who gave the complaint": Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra, whose son Ashish has been named in the police complaint into the deadly violence in #LakhimpurKheri. pic.twitter.com/TtpFqfuMfz
- NDTV (@ndtv) October 5, 2021
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi plans to visit Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on Wednesday, his party has announced, amid the state governments efforts at blocking all opposition leaders, including his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who have made a beeline for the district where eight people were killed on Sunday in violence.
More and more police deployed at Nighasan in Lakhimpur Kheri district to arrest us. We asked the police to instead go and apprehend the prime accused in the matter. pic.twitter.com/QTCKvWCF3r
- Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) October 5, 2021
Aam Aadmi party spokesperson Raghav Chadha says the AAP delegation, detained while trying to meet a grieving family in Lakhimpur Kheri, is now being taken by the UP police to an unknown location.
AAP delegation is now being taken to an undisclosed location. They are not letting us meet the family. We are just 15kms away from the bereaved family.
- Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) October 5, 2021
If only this much police was deployed to apprehend the prime accused. pic.twitter.com/KNeDTTI78H
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, arrested in connection to UP's Lakhimpur Kheri violence while trying to visit the site, released a statement claiming that no information regarding the circumstances, reasons, or the sections under which she has been charged have been communicated to her by the UP Police or administration, even 38 hours after her arrest.
"I have not been served with any order or notice. Nor have they shown me an FIR," she stated.
Internet services in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri, suspended since October 3 after deadly clashes claimed eight lives, have now been restored.
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu this evening warned the Uttar Pradesh government that the Punjab Congress will lead a march to Lakhimpur district - where violence erupted on Sunday, killing eight people - if the accused is not arrested and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is in police custody since yesterday, is not released.
Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra, charged with murder in Lakhimpur Kheri, has not been arrested 24 hours after the First Information Report naming him was filed. A top police officer of Uttar Pradesh explained the inaction today, saying they were "busy with negotiations with farmers and then with postmortems and then with getting the cremations done."
One of the victims of the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday was a 19-year-old farmer. Lovepreet Singh, in his dying moments, called his father from his hospital bed and begged him to come quickly.
JUST IN - Lakhimpur Kheri violence: UP lawyers write to Chief Justice, want CBI probe under Supreme Court's supervision
- Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) October 5, 2021
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was stopped from stepping out of Lucknow airport.
बिना किसी आदेश के मुझे लखनऊ एयरपोर्ट से बाहर जाने से रोका जा रहा है। pic.twitter.com/4wwslm9bZr
- Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) October 5, 2021
BJP MP Varun Gandhi this morning tweeted a viral video that appears to show farmers being run over in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur district - an incident that led to eight deaths, and has been condemned nationwide.
Left parties along with Sanyukt Kisan Morcha carried out demonstrations in several parts of Rajasthan against the violence at Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh.
लखीमपुर खीरी में किसानों को गाड़ियों से जानबूझकर कुचलने का यह वीडियो किसी की भी आत्मा को झखझोर देगा।
- Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) October 5, 2021
पुलिस इस वीडियो का संज्ञान लेकर इन गाड़ियों के मालिकों, इनमें बैठे लोगों, और इस प्रकरण में संलिप्त अन्य व्यक्तियों को चिन्हित कर तत्काल गिरफ्तार करे।
#LakhimpurKheri@dgpup pic.twitter.com/YmDZhUZ9xq
ये वास्तव में ह्रदय विदारक है। ये तस्वीरें कानून और सिस्टम को शर्मसार कर देने वाली हैं। जो भी लोग दोषी हों उनके ख़िलाफ़ सख़्त से सख़्त कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए ताकि किसान परिवारों को न्याय मिल सके। https://t.co/RTutRWRizy
- Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 5, 2021
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's arrest in Uttar Pradesh won't stop "the non-violent protest for truth", her brother Rahul Gandhi said today in a tweet, calling her "fearless" and a "true Congressi".
Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda claimed that he has been under detention for the last 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur. "Today after 24 hours have passed, we are still in custody like criminals for the second day, and those who crushed the farmers are free. The land of Lakhimpur was turned red with the blood of farmers, but every drop of this blood will write the story of the coming revolution. Police Line Sitapur, from police custody," Mr Hooda tweeted.
.@narendramodi जी आपकी सरकार ने बग़ैर किसी ऑर्डर और FIR के मुझे पिछले 28 घंटे से हिरासत में रखा है।
- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 5, 2021
अन्नदाता को कुचल देने वाला ये व्यक्ति अब तक गिरफ़्तार नहीं हुआ। क्यों? pic.twitter.com/0IF3iv0Ypi