Farmers seek Union Min’s name in chargesheet
Ashish Mishra has been named as the prime accused along with 13 others in the chargesheet submitted on Monday in Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. But much to relief of his father, Union Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) didn’t mention his name in the 5,000-page chargesheet which was submitted in the court of the chief judicial magistrate of Lakhimpur on Monday.
The chargesheet was brought to a local court in a big trunk just a day before the deadline of 90 days for the investigation which is to Tuesday.
The farmers fighting the case, however, were unsatisfied with the chargesheet. They demanded that the Union Minister, who is also the MP from Kheri seat, should be named as an accused as well.
Speaking to the media, advocate Mohammad Amaan, the representative of the victims, said they had named Teni in the complaint but still, his name was not included in the FIR. Later, they had also approached SIT to include Teni’s name, but nothing happened. Amaan alleged that the team had not probed the case properly. The Thar jeep that rammed into the people was registered under Ajay Mishra’s name, but he allowed to go scot free, he added. The advocate said he would move the court, asking for a thorough investigation.
Although Mishra’s son, Ashish, figures as the key accused in the case that claimed eight lives, a new name has emerged in the chargesheet, and the accused has been identified as Virendra Shukla who is believed to be Mishra’s relative.
If the court accepts the chargesheet, a trial in the case will start at a date given by the court.
“Yes, the chargesheet has been filed,” the senior prosecution officer SP Yadav told media persons waiting outside court. The police said during the investigation they had found that Ashish was present at the spot when the violence occurred. The report said the name of one of Ashish’s relatives, Shukla, has also been added in the chargesheet. Shukla has been accused of destroying evidence in the case.
The SIT of the Uttar Pradesh Police that is probing the violence case had earlier said the incident was a ‘planned conspiracy’ with ‘intent to kill’. On December 14, the SIT had submitted an application in the court to invoke four more criminal charges against the accused, including murder. The SIT requested the local court to drop three charges under IPC 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.
The case relates to the killing of eight people, including four farmers, during a protest in Lakhimpur Kheri district against the Centre’s three farm laws on October 3. Violence had erupted when farmers were protesting the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Four agitating farmers were run over by a vehicle, which farmers’ body claimed belonged to Ashish.
The Supreme Court had reconstituted the SIT and added new members, IPS officers SB Shiradkar, Preetinder Singh and Padmaja Chauhan, along with retired judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court Rakesh Kumar Jain, to probe the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Meanwhile, the SIT has arrested one more farmer in connection with the alleged lynching of three BJP workers during the violence. Lakhimpur Kheri police and senior prosecution officer (SPO) SP Yadav said that Gurpreet Singh, 22, had been absconding since the SIT released pictures of the suspects nearly two months ago.
Seven farmers have been arrested so far in connection with the lynching case. The SIT had earlier arrested Vichitra Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Avtaar Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Kamaljeet Singh and Kawaljeet Singh after they were identified as 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, in connection with the deaths of four farmers and a journalist during the violence.