Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra was quizzed in Lakhimpur Kheri on Saturday for over nine hours by a special investigation team of Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the violence in the region on October 3, a day after the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over the state government's action in the case.
Ashish Mishra appeared before the special investigation team at around 10.30 am after a second summons was served to him the previous day, when he did not turn up for interrogation, and the questioning at the crime branch office in the Police Lines was continuing even after 8 pm, sources said.
Security personnel were deployed in strength and barricades put up in the area.
Opposition and farmer leaders continued to step up pressure on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, demanding the sacking of Ajay Mishra from the Union council of ministers and the arrest of the minister and his son.
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 last Sunday.
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.
Ashish Mishra and his father had denied the allegation, saying they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time.
The Supreme Court had on Friday on 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”.
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.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, 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.
Ajay Mishra should be ”dismissed from the cabinet and arrested on charges of spreading disharmony, murder and conspiracy. He is also protecting the culprits in the case,” SKM leader Yogendra Yadav alleged during a press conference in Delhi.
”His son Ashish Mishra and his associates, who have been accused of murder, should be arrested immediately,” he said.
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.
"The way farmers were crushed, now preparations are on to crush the laws. This government has pulverised the Constitution.
"You have seen how a vehicle ran over farmers who were fighting for their rights. The guilty persons are yet to be caught. Instead of giving summons, a flower bouquet is being given. The summon is only in name, and (in reality) samman (honour) is given," he told reporters in Lucknow.
SKM leader Yogendra Yadav said an antim ardas (prayer meeting) will be held on October 12 at Tikonia, Lakhimpur Kheri to pay tribute to the four farmers and the journalist killed in the incident.
”All farmer organisations should organise prayer meetings at their places on October 12,” he said and appealed to citizens to light candles outside their house on that evening.
"If the government does not accept our demands by October 11, we will take out a 'Shaheed Kisan Yatra' from Lakhimpur Kheri with the asthi of slain farmers," he said.
While his son was being questioned, Union minister 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 here demanding justice for Shubham Mishra, one of the BJP workers killed in the incident.
However, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said that he doesn't consider those who killed BJP workers in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri as culprits as they only reacted to SUV running over protesters.
"The killing of two BJP workers in Lakhimpur Kheri after a convoy of cars mowed down four farmers is a reaction to an action. I do not consider those involved in the killings as culprits," Tikait said in reply to a question.
Yadav said that on Dusshera on October 15, the SKM will burn the effigies of the prime minister and the home minister to protest against the violence.
A nine-member team headed by the SIT team headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Upendra Agarwal has been formed to investigate the FIR lodged against the minister's son and others in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
After two men were arrested on Thursday in the case, the 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.
