Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra was arrested on Saturday night after being questioned for almost nine hours by the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people, including four farmers were killed. Police said Ashish had been giving “evasive answers” and not cooperating with the interrogation.
Ashish, who was named in an FIR following allegations that he was in one of the vehicles that mowed down four farmers, appeared before the special investigation team at 10.30 am after a second summons was served to him the previous day when he did not turn up for interrogation.
The farmers were protesting over UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to Lakhimpuri on last Sunday when four of them were knocked down by an SUV driven by the BJP workers. 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.
Opposition and farmer leaders on Saturday continued to step up pressure on the ruling BJP, demanding the sacking of Ajay Mishra from the Union Council of Ministers and the arrest of the minister and his son.
Ashish and his father had denied the allegation, saying they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time.
Two persons--Luv Kush and Ashish Pandey--have already been arrested in the case. After their arrest on Thursday, police had put up a notice outside Ashish Mishra's house asking him to appear before it.
Ashish’s arrest came a day after the Supreme Court questioned the non-arrest of the accused, directed preservation of evidence and mulled transferring the probe to another agency.
A nine-member SIT team headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Upendra Agarwal had been formed to investigate the FIR lodged against the minister's son and others in the case.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the agitation against the Centre's three farm laws, alleged that the violence was held under a pre-planned conspiracy.
The farmer unions said if the government does not accept their demands by October 11, they will take out a 'Shaheed Kisan Yatra' from Lakhimpur Kheri with the ashes of slain farmers.
The SKM also gave a call for a “rail roko” protest across the country from 10 AM to 4 PM on October 18 and a “mahapanchayat” in Lucknow on October 26.