Lakhimpur incident: Union minister's son summoned for questioning

Two people are being quizzed in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight lives were lost, and Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra has been summoned for questioning, Inspector General of Police Laxmi Singh said on Thursday.

"If Ashish Mishra does not abide by the summons, legal procedure will be adopted," she told reporters in Lakhimpur Kheri.

IG Singh, however, said that there was no time limit in the summons sent to Ashish Mishra.

The Union minister's son has been named in an FIR lodged in connection with the October 3 incident under Indian Penal Code section 302 (murder).

The official refused to give out the names of those being questioned.

Four of the eight people who died in Sunday's violence in Lakhimpur Kheri were farmers, allegedly knocked down by vehicles driven by BJP workers travelling to welcome Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to an event in the area.

The four others included two BJP workers, a driver of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra, and Raman Kashyap, a journalist working for a private TV channel.

While the first three were allegedly lynched by agitating farmers, the scribe, according to his father, died after being hit by a vehicle when he was covering news of farmers' protest against Maurya's visit to Ajay Mishra's native place.