Farm leaders have given the UP government a week’s time to arrest Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, who was allegedly driving one of the cars that ploughed through a group of protesters in Lakhimpur Kheri.
Allahabad High Court Justice (retd) Pradeep Kumar Srivastava has been appointed as a single-member Commission of enquiry with headquarters at Lakhimpur Kheri to probe the incident to violence.
BJP MP Varun Gandhi demanded “accountability” in October 3 incident of violence. He said that justice must be delivered “before a message of arrogance and cruelty enters the minds of every farmer”.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandi and Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday met families of the victims who were killed in the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri.
Earlier in the day, Priyanka had left for Lakhimpur Kheri after being released from detention.
Rahul had left for the place from the Lucknow airport in his own vehicle after staging a brief ‘dharna’ on initially being asked to travel in a police vehicle.
A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice CV Ramana has assembled to hear the matter. The top court has taken Suo Motu cognizance of the violence that claimed eight lives in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday.
Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli are also part of the three-judge bench set to hear the horrific incident of Lakhimpur Kheri.
UP Police said no arrest has been made as they are still collecting evidence. Additional Director General, Lucknow Zone, S.N. Sabat said the video that shows a vehicle mowing down protesters cannot lead to “any conclusion”. UP Police has, however, arrested opposition leaders who tried to reach the village.