Farmers Movement Archive

Priyanka Gandhi heads to Lakhimpur Kheri to participate in ‘antim ardaas’

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra headed to Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district on Tuesday, where she will take part in the 'antim ardaas' of farmers who died in the violence there on October 3.Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh told PTI, "Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will go to Lakhimpur Kheri to attend the 'antim ardaas'. She will be accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu. Other senior party leaders who are likely to go along with Priyanka ji are Dheeraj Gurjar, Rohit Chaudhary, Pramod Tiwari, Aradhna Misra and Deepak Singh."However, a Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) member asserted that no politician will be allowed to share the dais with farmer leaders during the last prayers for the four farmers killed in the incident, reports news agency PTI. BKU-Tikait district vice-president Balkar Singh said, "No political leader will be allowed to share the stage where only Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders will be present".Police personnel in large numbers have been deployed in the area to ensure smooth movement of the public and maintain law and order.Baba Kala Singh of the Kaudiyala Ghat gurdwara at Tikonia village said, “The families of the farmers killed in the violence are likely to arrive tomorrow. A pandal has been set up on the outskirts of Tikonia. People from Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand are arriving in their own vehicles. They are putting up a pandal on an agriculture field. The atmosphere is peaceful here. At present, there is not much crowd.”"Farmers and leaders of various farm unions from other states and districts of Uttar Pradesh will participate in the 'ardas' and 'bhog' programme in Tikonia," Sandhu said, adding that "no other programme has been communicated so far".The four farmers were allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers. Infuriated farmers then allegedly lynched some people. The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver. A local journalist had also died in the violence.Farmers claimed that Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and his father. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had demanded the arrest of the father-son duo. Ashish Mishra was arrested after 12 hours of questioning late on Saturday night.A nine-member SIT 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.

Hindustan Times

12-10-2021

India