SIT takes Ashish Mishra, 3 others to Lakhimpur Kheri to recreate sequence of events; Tikait slams probe

The SIT probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence on Thursday took Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son and three others arrested in the case to recreate the sequence of events leading to the incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Tikonia village. Amid tight security, the three accused were taken to the site of the incident on the Tikonia-Banbirpur road, around 60 km from district headquarters Lakhimpur city, police said.

#WATCH Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Lakhimpur Kheri to recreate the crime scene pic.twitter.com/T6ffwrN2z4

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) October 14, 2021

This, as BKU leader Rakesh Tikait expressed dissatisfaction over the ongoing investigation into the Lakhimpur violence case on Thursday and said the  "red-carpet arrest"  of MoS Home Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish has fuelled anger among protesting farmers. Demanding dismissal of Ajay Mishra, Tikait said there cannot be a fair investigation in the case if the accused person’s father continues to hold the chair. The minister’s son Ashish Mishra, alleged to be in one of the cars that mowed down the protesters in Lakhimpur Kheri on 3 October,  was arrested after 12 hours of questioning last week . “The red carpet arrest of the minister’s son who is the main accused in the incident has fuelled anger among the protesting farmers,” the BKU leader told newspersons here. “The whole world understands that no justice can be given if the minister whose son is being investigated continues to hold his chair,” Tikait said at a function in Tappal town. Expressing dissatisfaction over the ongoing probe, he claimed that the minister was influencing the SIT investigation. He reiterated that the protest against the Lakhimpur violence would intensify if Ajay Mishra was not removed from his post. The Bhartiya Kisan Union leader said ‘ 'rail roko'' protest  would be held for six hours on 18 October. He said the BKU will hold a big kisan panchayat in Lucknow on 26 October. Eight people died in the 3 October violence and of them, four were farmers, allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. Infuriated farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles. The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver. In the incident, a journalist was also killed. 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 who say they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time. Ashish Mishra ‘‘Monu’’ was arrested in the case on 9 October after 12 hours of questioning, and a court has accepted his police custody from 12-15 October. The other three — Shekhar Bharti was arrested on 12 October, and Ankit Das and Latif alias Kale were arrested on 13 October. Das, Latif and Bharti are in police custody from 14 to 17 October. On Thursday, investigators reached the district jail premises in the morning to take Das, Latif and Bharti into police custody. The trio were taken to the crime branch’s office at the Reserve Police Lines, which is near the district jail where main accused Ashish Mishra is lodged. They were taken to Tikonia village by the special investigation team (SIT) amid heavy security for further investigations, police said.