Farmers Movement Archive

Seeking justice for their brothers’ ‘murder’, two take poll plunge in Lakhimpur Kheri

Bareilly: Rajeev Gupta, 47, and Pawan Kashyap, 26, say they're on a quest to "avenge" their brothers' deaths by making a debut in battleground Nighasan in the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. Their siblings were allegedly murdered in the year 2000 and 2021 respectively in Lakhimpur Kheri. The common link between the two incidents: allegations against Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni. Rajeev's brother Prabhat Gupta was allegedly killed due to an old business rivalry and the Union minister was accused of the crime. Meanwhile, Pawan accused Teni's son Ashish of murdering his brother, journalist Raman Kashyap, by running over him with his convoy in Tikunia during the farmers' protest in Lakhimpur Kheri last year. Pawan, an OBC, was recently offered a Congress ticket from the constituency while Rajeev, who is considered close to Shivpal Yadav, is in talks with the Samajwadi Party (SP).Rajeev's brother Prabhat, a local entrepreneur, was killed in a busy marketplace in July 2000. In 2004, a sessions court in Kheri acquitted Teni and the victim’s kin approached the high court (HC) challenging the verdict. In 2018, the Allahabad HC reserved its judgment in the case but it is yet to be delivered. If fielded by SP, Rajeev is expected to make the contest tougher for BJP's sitting MLA Shashank Verma in Nighasan, an OBC-dominated constituency. Rajeev told TOI, “I have been fighting for justice for 22 years. My brother was murdered in broad daylight and there were 15 witnesses who initially recorded their statements against Teni but he was never arrested. A few witnesses turned hostile during the trial. My case has been pending in the HC since 2004 and it is not even getting listed for hearing. This has forced me to approach the apex court.” He added, "I am seeking a ticket from SP from Nighasan because I want to rid the area of goons. It is one of the most backward areas of the state and is deprived of basic facilities. I want to ensure that people stop living in fear and get basic amenities."Meanwhile, Pawan said, “My life has changed since the death of my brother during the farmers' protest. I am a common man, a farmer, who wanted to live a peaceful life but now I want to contest elections and eradicate hooliganism from the area.” Nighasan constituency has nearly 3.8 lakh voters. Of the total, OBCs constitute about 30% and play a significant role. There are 22% Dalit voters and 15% Muslim voters. Incidentally, only one upper-caste politician has managed to secure the Nighasan seat in the past 25 years. This was Ajay Mishra Teni, who was elected from the constituency in 2012. In 2017, BJP's Ramkumar Verma won the polls.

The Times of India

2022-01-23

Bareilly