With Union Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra named as the prime accused along with 13 others, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the mowing of farmers at Tikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, submitted a 5,000-page chargesheet in the court of chief judicial magistrate in Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday.
The charge-sheet was submitted just a day before the deadline of 90 days.
However, the farmers fighting the case were unsatisfied with the SIT charge-sheet and demanded that the Union minister, who is also the MP from Kheri, be named as an accused as well.
Speaking to the media, legal representative of the victims, Mohammad Amaan said that the victims had specifically named the Union minister of state for home in their complaints, yet his name was not included in the FIR. The lawyer said that the complainants also approached the SIT to include the name of the Union minister of state but nothing happened.
Amaan alleged that the SIT did not do justice while probing the case.
“The Thar jeep that ran over people was registered in Ajay Mishra Teni’s name, but his name was deliberately omitted from the FIR. We will approach the court again, requesting for a thorough investigation,” he said.
While Ajay Mishra Teni’s son, Ashish, has been the key accused in the case that claimed eight lives, a new name emerged in the charge-sheet, of Virendra Shukla, a kin of Mishra. If the court accepts the chargesheet, a trial in the case will start at a date given by the court.
Senior Prosecution Officer SP Yadav confirmed to media persons waiting outside Lakhimpur Kheri court, "Yes, the chargesheet has been filed,".
The police said in the chargesheet that during the investigation they found that Ashish Mishra was present at the spot when the violence occurred. The report said that the name of one of Ashish's relatives, Virendra Shukla, had also been added in the chargesheet. Shukla has been accused of destroying evidence in the case.
The SIT of UP Police had earlier said that the incident was a “planned conspiracy” with the “intent to kill”. On December 14, the SIT had submitted an application in the local court to invoke four more criminal charges against the accused, including murder. The SIT requested the local court to drop three charges under Indian Penal Code sections 279 (rash driving on a public way), 338 (causing grievous injury by act endangering life) and 304a (causing death by negligence) against the accused. The probe team then slapped sections 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 34 (act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC against the accused booked in the killing of four farmers and a journalist.
Four farmers and a journalist were mowed down by a motorcade and killed after a protest in Lakhimpur Kheri against the Centre's three farm laws on October 3. Violence erupted when farmers were protesting the visit of UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to Tikunia area of Lakhimpur. The vehicle used in the incident reportedly belonged to Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra. Later, Ashish and 13 others were arrested and sent to jail.
In November, the Supreme Court had reconstituted the SIT and added new members, IPS officers SB Shirodkar, Preetinder Singh and Padmaja Chauhan, along with retired judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice (Retd) Rakesh Kumar Jain, to probe the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Meanwhile, the SIT arrested one more farmer in connection with the lynching of three BJP workers in the retaliatory violence. Accused Gurpreet Singh (22) had been absconding since the SIT released his pictures nearly two months ago. Seven farmers have been arrested so far in connection with the lynching. The SIT had earlier arrested Vichitra Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Avtaar Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Kamaljeet Singh and Kawaljeet Singh suspects. An FIR with charges of murder and rioting was initially registered against 'unidentified farmers' based on the complaint of BJP worker Sumit Jaiswal, who is a co-accused along with Ashish Mishra, in connection with the deaths of four farmers and a journalist during the violence.