Farmers Movement Archive

Both cars in Lakhimpur Kheri violence ‘linked’ to Union minister Ajay Mishra

LAKHIMPUR KHERI: In the eye of a storm after four farmers died when his convoy allegedly ran them over at Banbirpur in Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday, Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra Teni met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday. The minister has refuted allegations that his son Ashish was responsible for the farmers’ deaths. But two cars from the convoy that day have been “linked” to the minister — one belongs to him and another to his son’s “friend”. Read AlsoRakesh Tikait urges govt to 'immediately arrest culprits' of Lakhimpur violence: Key developmentsNEW DELHI: Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson, on Thursday urged the government to immediately "arrest the culprits of the Lakhimpur massacre". Tikait posted a tweet saying, "The government should immediately arrest the culprits of the Lakhimpur massacre."“The minister has confirmed that the (Thar) jeep was registered in his name and that he had let the driver take it for some work. The other car, a Fortuner, was registered in one Ankit Das’s name. We have found Ankit is a resident of Lucknow and the nephew of a former MP. He will definitely be questioned by the police,” a senior police official who didn’t want to be named told TOI. Lakhimpur Kheri case live updatesImages from Das’s social media profiles were shared widely on Wednesday, in which he is seen sharing the stage with BJP members, including Teni, at various events. Those in Lakhimpur Kheri identified him as Ashish’s friend. “Ankit bhaiya comes to meet Ashish bhaiya quite often. They are good friends but I don’t know if he came to Banbirpur on October 3,” a local trader who is involved in BJP’s work in Lakhimpur Kheri told TOI. A farmer who was present at the site of the Banbirpur killings on Sunday added, “One of the persons (from the convoy) we handed over to the police had told us that the Fortuner belongs to a Lucknow-based contractor. The man himself said he was a clerical officer for the contractor. Later, we realised it’s Ankit Das’s car.” Read AlsoLakhimpur violence: Farmers' kin dispute autopsy, agree to cremate three after mediationFor hours on Tuesday, families of farmers who died in Sunday’s violence at Banbirpur in Lakhimpur Kheri refused to cremate the bodies after the autopsy reports "did not mention bullet injuries". Over the day, with BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait stepping in and holding talks with the administration,Earlier in the day, Teni met Shah “after the state government submitted its report on the Kheri violence to the home department”, BJP sources told TOI. Teni had, however, denied any link between the Lakhimpur Kheri case, in which his son is an accused, and Wednesday’s meeting, telling a news agency that the reason for his Delhi visit is that he has “work and appointments” lined up. Teni is scheduled to be the chief guest of an event on prison reforms, organised by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, on Thursday at Mahipalpur in Delhi. While there was speculation that Teni may step down, BJP sources told TOI on Wednesday evening that it may not be on the cards. Bhartiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, who has been at the forefront of the negotiations of farmers from Kheri with the administration, had demanded Teni’s resignation. There were also reports that Ashish may surrender to the police, but he had not done so at the time of filing this report. Photos: Protests across country over Lakhimpur Kheri violenceMeanwhile, BJP MLA Romi Sahni, who represents Palia in Lakhimpur Kheri, came out in strong support of farmers. “Many farmers who had gathered in Banbirpur village to stage a protest against the deputy CM (Keshav Prasad Maurya) and the Union minister (Ajay Mishra Teni) were from Palia, which is dominated by members of the Sikh community. Efforts have been made to defame Sikh farmers, but they have been the country’s pride,” he told TOI. “They have transformed UP’s economy and agriculture structure by turning barren fields into fertile farms. They made this region the state’s rice bowl … They should not be dragged into controversies because they have been true farmers.” About Sunday’s violence, he added, “I feel for every person who died that day. It should not have happened. I am still in shock.”

The Times of India

2021-10-07

Bareilly