Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra was arrested on Saturday after being questioned for nearly 12 hours by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Uttar Pradesh Police in alleged connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence on October 3. Ashish Mishra appeared before the SIT at around 10.30 am after a second summons was served to him the previous day when he did not turn up for interrogation.
Speaking on the arrest, DIG Upendra Agarwal, who led the SIT, said, “We are taking Ashish Mishra in custody. He was not cooperating in the investigation."
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This comes a day after the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over the Uttar Pradesh government’s action in the case.
Ashish Mishra was named in an FIR following allegations that he was in one of the vehicles that mowed down four farmers protesting over UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit on October 3. Two BJP workers and their driver were then allegedly lynched by angry farmers. Local journalist Raman Kashyap also died in the incident, which has triggered a political storm and put the BJP government on the back foot in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
However, Ashish Mishra and his father had denied the allegation, saying they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time.
When his son was being questioned, Ajay Mishra was huddled with lawyers at the local party office where a large number of BJP workers gathered and shouted slogans in support of him. The minister came out of the office and told the party workers that Ashish was “innocent" and had no role in the October 3 incident. A protest was also held demanding justice for Shubham Mishra, one of the BJP workers killed in the incident.
The Supreme Court had on Friday questioned the non-arrest of the accused, directed preservation of evidence and mulled transferring the probe to another agency. Without mincing words, a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana had said, the law must take its course against all accused and the government has to take all remedial steps in this regard to inspire confidence in the investigation of brutal murder of eight persons.
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Opposition and farmer leaders continued to step up pressure on the ruling BJP, demanding the sacking of Ajay Mishra from the Union Council of Ministers.
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu ended his “silent protest", which he started at 6.15 pm on Friday outside the home of Kashyap in Nighasan tehsil, after the minister’s son turned up for questioning. “This is the victory of truth. A person may be a king, but no one is bigger than justice. If there is justice, there is ‘shaasan’ (governance), and if there is no justice, there is ‘kushaasan’ (misgovernance). This is the victory of the families of farmers. The family of Lovpreet Singh and the family of Raman Kashyap," he said. Lovepreet Singh of Palia village of Lakhimpur was among those who died in the violence.
Attacking the Uttar Pradesh Government over the handling of the probe in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged it was giving “bouquet" to culprits instead of bringing them to book.
After two men were arrested on Thursday in the case, police had put up a notice outside Ashish Mishra’s house asking him to appear before it in connection with the violence that claimed eight lives.
(with inputs from PTI)
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