Lakhimpur Kheri: Eight dead in violence during farmers' protest; SKM calls for stir across country on Monday

Eight people were killed as violence erupted during a farmers’ protest over Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit.

  Two SUVs were set on fire by angry farmers, reports said, after they hit a group of protesters. Four of the dead were travelling in the vehicles and the remaining two were farmers, sources said. Angry protesters allegedly forced the two vehicles to stop and set them on fire. They also allegedly thrashed some passengers. The farmers had assembled to oppose Maurya’s visit to Banbirpur, the native village of Union minister of state for Home and MP Ajay Kumar Mishra. Several journalists were also reported to have sustained injuries in the incident. Sources said heavy police force has already rushed to the spot, while superintendent of police and ADG Prashant Kumar is present in Lakhimpur. Farmers have alleged that people protesting against Centre’s farm laws were knocked down by a car driven by Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Ajay Mishra. However, the police haven’t confirmed this information yet. A press note issued by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) stated that one SKM leader Tajinder Singh Virk was seriously injured. Mishra was on his way to his paternal village in Tikunia for an event, where UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya was to be the chief guest. Mishra said that his son Ajay was not present at the spot and there is no video footage to support the allegations made by the famers. Terming the entire incident as a conspiracy, Mishra on Sunday said that three BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death by “some elements” in the protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh after a car in which they were travelling turned turtle following pelting of stones.

Mishra told PTI over the phone that two farmers had died after coming under the car. Talking to New18, Mishra said that while his son was not present at the spot, he would cooperate and participate in the investigation, if required. He said the incident happened when some BJP workers were going to receive UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya who had come to attend an event at Lakhimpur Kheri. “Some elements in farmers, who were protesting, showed black flags and pelted stones on the car which turned turtle. Two farmers came under the car and died. “Three BJP workers and the driver of the car were beaten to death by some people present there,” he said, adding he was on his way to get their postmortem done. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath called the incident unfortunate and  vowed “strict action” against the elements involved in the incident. The incident has led to a huge outcry among farmers, leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, and even Opposition leaders. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a protest outside the offices of district magistrates and divisional commissioners across the country on Monday over two SUVs allegedly running over protesters in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, farmer leaders Yogendra Yadav and Darshan Pal Singh said on Sunday. They also demanded a probe into the incident by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court and not by the Uttar Pradesh administration. “To express our agitation against Sunday’s incident, the SKM calls for a protest outside the offices of district magistrates and divisional commissioners across the country between 10 am and 1 pm,” Singh said. “We demand that Union Minister of State for Home and Khiri MP Ajay Kumar Mishra be immediately dismissed from his post. A case under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the IPC should be registered against the minister’s son and other goons,” Singh and Yadav said at a virtual press conference. They claimed that at least four farmers were killed in the incident and appealed to the protesters to maintain calm. Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday left for Lakhimpur Kheri along with his several supporters amid reports of violence there during a farmers’ protest in which several people have been injured. While leaving Ghazipur on the Delhi-Ghaziabad border for Lakhimpur Kheri, Tikait, the BKU’s national spokesperson, claimed that “several farmers” are feared dead during the violence in which two vehicles were also allegedly set on fire. Tikait earlier tweeted:  

Bhartiya Kisan Union has also tweeted, “The protesting farmers were run over by car of Union Minister Teni’s son, three farmers have died, Tejinder Singh Virk is also injured. Rakesh Tikait is leaving from Ghazipur.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has also tweeted, “It is a very inhuman and cruel act to trample the farmers peacefully opposing the agricultural laws by the son of the Minister of State for Home of the BJP government. UP will not tolerate the oppression of arrogant BJP people anymore. If this situation continues, then the BJP in UP will neither be able to walk nor get off the vehicle.”

Akhilesh said he spoke to the injured leader and sent out a tweet seeking proper medical treatment for Tajinder Singh Virk. He also called on Chief Minister  Yogi Adityanath to resign.

Hitting out at BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said those who remain silent even after this incident in Lakhimpur Kheri are ‘already dead’. He said “the sacrifice of farmers will not go in vain”. While Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi is expected to reach Lakhimpur tomorrow, Dharmendra Malik and Digambar Singh of Bhartiya Kisan are also heading to  the spot. Congress General Secretary said on Twitter, “How much does BJP hate the farmers of the country? Don’t they have the right to live? If they raise their voice, they will be shot or crushed under a car. Enough. This is a country of farmers not the fiefdom of BJP’s brutal ideology.” “Farmers agitation will be strengthened further and their voice will be louder,” she asked. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate called the incident is very unfortunate and demanded a judicial probe. According to a PTI report, she said, “A judicial probe should immediately be ordered into the incident and the guilty should be booked for murder. We also demand the immediate resignation of the Union Minister of State for Home.” Taking a dig at the minister, leader of Rashtriya Lok Dal, Jayant Chaudhury tweeted: “Shocking reports are coming from Lakhimpur. Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Ajay Mishra’s convoy run over farmers! Two farmers dead, several injured. If a minister attempts to crush opposition in this manner, then who is safe?”

Amarinder  Singh called for a ’thorough probe’ into the incident: