Farmers Movement Archive

Kheri violence: Key witness says no security despite SC order, claims threat to life

Rudrapur: Tejender Singh Virk, a key witness to the violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, said on Tuesday that that despite the Supreme Court's order, the Udham Singh Nagar police has refused to provide him security. "My life is in danger and I have no one to protect me," he said. Virk, president of the Terai Kisan Sangathan and leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, suffered serious head injuries and was operated on at a multi-specialty hospital in Gurugram, Haryana, after a convoy of cars allegedly belonging to Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish -- the prime accused in the case -- hit him along with the four farmers who died in the accident that day. "The people who mowed down farmers with their SUVs can kill me any time. Lakhimpur Kheri's SSP wrote a letter to Udham Singh Nagar's SSP, asking him to provide me security as I am a resident of Rudrapur. So far, nothing has happened. The SSP of Rudrapur said police will provide me security only on the day on which I am summoned to court. If anything happens to me, the BJP-led Union and state government will be solely responsible for it." The SSP of US Nagar in Uttarakhand, Daleep Singh Kunwar, said he has received the letter but the matter is under the jurisdiction of UP police. "We will ensure that the witness gets security when he goes to court. As far as providing permanent security is concerned, since the matter doesn't lie in our jurisdiction, we cannot take any action and it is the duty of the UP government to provide security to the witness," he added. Former Congress minister Tilak Raj Behar vowed to take the matter to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to "pressure" him into providing Virk security. "The Uttarakhand government is not providing security to Virk...There are several instances where CM Dhami has granted security to local leaders of the saffron party in Rudrapur. However, when it comes to securing a farmer leader, who is an important witness to the Lakhimpur incident, the BJP is not doing the needful. We will take this issue to the CM and request him to abide by the apex court's order," Behar said. The violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 led to the deaths of eight people, including four farmers and three BJP workers. It happened ahead of the visit of UP's deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya. The special investigating team probing the incident has arrested 13 people in the matter so far.

The Times of India

2021-12-29

Dehradun