Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SIT takes Union min's son to recreate crime scene

Lakhimpur Kheri: The SIT probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence 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. Eight people died in the October 3 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.

BJP leader Ram Iqbal Singh accused Ajay Mishra of being behind the violence and sought his sacking from PM Modi.

He said that questions are also being raised about the prime minister for not sacking the minister. Singh alleged that Mishra was behind the Lakhimpur violence. His "threatening statement" added fuel to the fire. "He should have apologised to farmers but he only tried to defend his son. He has not regretted the incident yet. This incident is a blot on humanity," Singh, BJP state executive member, told reporters. "His son crushed farmers to death under his car. He was arrested after the intervention of the Supreme Court, but even today the minister is sitting on the chair. In such a situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should sack him immediately," he said.

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.

BJP MP Varun Gandhi posted on Twitter a short clip of a speech of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 1980 in which he warns the then Indira Gandhi government against repressing farmers and extends his support to them. Gandhi tweeted, "Wise words from a big-hearted leader..." The BJP MP has been vocal in empathising with farmers agitating against the three agri laws enacted by the Modi government and sharing Vajpayee's speech is seen as his message to the central government. In the video clip, Vajpayee is heard telling a gathering that farmers cannot be scared. "If the government will suppress (farmers), misuse laws and repress a peaceful agitation, then we will not shy away from joining the farmers' struggle and standing with them," he is heard saying.