-Union Minister’s son blamed for the accident
-Protestors say one of the Farmers was shot dead by Ajay Mishra’s son
-Add the Cars’ cavalcade led by the Minister’s son attack the protesting Farmers
-Sympathizers condemn the planned upset
DM Monitoring
NEW DELHI: Four farmers were among six persons killed and 12-15 severely injured in Tikunia village of Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on Sunday, October 3, after they were run over by a car that was part of a convoy of vehicles in which the Union Minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra’s son was travelling.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha claimed that one of the three farmers was shot dead by Ajay Mishra Teni’s son, Ashish (Monu) Mishra, while the others have been allegedly run over by vehicles in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri.
The farmers, who had gathered there to protest against three contentious farm laws, have also accused the minister’s son of driving one of the cars that was involved in the accident, a charge the minister has denied.
The situation immediately turned tense with protestors allegedly burning cars and the Uttar Pradesh government deploying heavy police personnel in the village and across the district. Reports Sunday night put the death toll from the incident at six, including four farmers.
In a statement issued Sunday night after a virtual press conference, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha said it is able to confirm the deaths of four farmers, Lovepreet Singh (20), Daljeet Singh (35), Nachattar Singh (60) and Gurvinder Singh (19), and that around 12-15 persons had been injured”.
“It is confirmed that Ashish Mishra Teni (son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni) came with three vehicles around the time that farmers were dispersing from their protest at the helipad and mowed down farmers and towards the end also attacked SKM leader Tajinder Singh Virk directly, by trying to run a vehicle over him. There were also shots fired, and one of the deaths was by this shooting by Ashish Mishra Teni and his team,” the SKM alleged.
The incident took place when farmers had gathered in Tikunia to register their protest by showing black flags to Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Union minister Ajay Mishra, who were visiting the village for a few scheduled government programmes. Tikunia also happens to be the paternal village of Mishra.
According to farmers, they first geared Keshav Prasad Maurya at the helipad and were returning to the road through which the convoy of ministers would move. It was at this point that farmers standing on both sides of the road with black flags were run over by three cars in a convoy in which Mishra’s son, Ashish Mishra, and his relatives, were travelling, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha has charged.
While one protestor had died on the spot, the others succumbed to injuries at a hospital, according to farmers. Taking cognisance of the situation, chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed assistant director general Prashant Kumar to visit Lakhimpur Kheri to bring the situation under control.
“In view of the Lakhimpur incident, the entire state has been alerted. All the districts adjoining Lakhimpur have been put on high alert. Instructions have been given to keep a close watch on any type of activity,” DGP Mukul Goyel said, adding, additional forces were sent to the district in case of any flare up. BKU leader Rakesh Tikait has also left Ghazipur to reach the spot. “The protesting farmers were attacked, fired at by the cars’ cavalcade in Lakhimpur Kheri,” he claimed. Gurnam Singh Chaduni of BKU (Chaduni) called for mass gathering in Tikunia.
Meanwhile, the incident has been widely condemned by politicians across the spectrum.Following the accident by planned Modi government, the Congress General Secretary and In-Charge of UP Priyanka Gandhi announced to visit Lakhimpur on Monday to meet the families of deceased farmers. Priyanka Gandhi has already sent a team of congress leaders on the spot. The congress state general secretary Saif Naqvi, state secretary Abhishek Patel, Gurmeet Bhullar and former MP Jafar Ali have reached the spot on Monday and met with the agitating farmers. According to a senior congress leader of UP, Priyanka would be coming back from Delhi to Lucknow on Monday and immediately she will leave for Lakhimpur
