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2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence

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Lakhimpur Kheri incident[18] was a vehicle-ramming attack, drive-by shooting[19] and mob lynching incident during farmers’ protest against the three farm laws passed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Union Government. It happened on 3 October 2021 at Banbirpur village near Tikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh, India, resulting in deaths of eight people and injuries to ten others. Four protesting farmers and a journalist were run over by the car.[20] Two BJP members and Ajay Mishra Teni's driver were lynched by protestors in the subsequent violence.[21][22]

Lakhimpur Kheri incident
Part of 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest
Date3 October 2021 (2021-10-03)
Location
Banbirpur near Tikunia, Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh, India

28°23′42″N 80°58′34″E / 28.395°N 80.976°E / 28.395; 80.976
MethodsVehicle-ramming attack, drive-by shooting,[1] lynching
Parties
Others
Lead figures

Tajinder Singh Virk

Ashish Mishra

–

Casualties and losses
Deaths: 4
Injuries: 10
Arrests: 2
Deaths: 2
Arrests: 13
Deaths: 2
(car driver, journalist)
Map

Background

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The 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest were a series of protest against three farm acts which were passed by the BJP-led Union Government in the BJP controlled Parliament of India in September 2020.

In September 2021, Ajay Mishra Teni, a BJP leader and the Minister of State for Home Affairs was attending an event in the Palia town of Lakhimpur Kheri district. During the event, the farmer union members had shown black flags as a sign of protest. Teni had warned the protesting farmer union members in his speech saying, "Sudhar jao, nahi toh hum sudhaar denge, do minute me" (transl. You better reform, or we will reform you in two minutes.)[23] Tajinder Singh Virk, who is also linked to the Samajwadi Party, a farmer leader, later organised a protest against Teni's upcoming visit, in response to this warning.[24] On 3 October, BJP leaders Ajay Mishra Teni and Keshav Prasad Maurya had planned to attend an event in the area. Keshav Prasad Maurya is the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.[24]

Incident

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Representative picture of the Mahindra Thar SUV, the same model involved in the vehicle-ramming attack. The car was torched after the attack.
 
Representative picture of the second car, a Toyota Fortuner that was part of the convoy behind the Thar. The Fortuner car was torched after the attack.
 
Representative picture of the third car, a Mahindra Scorpio that was part of the convoy. Scorpio driver fled with the car.

On 3 October 2021, hundreds of farmers in the Tikonia area of Lakhimpur Kheri district were returning after staging protests as part of the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest against the three farm laws. The protestors were blocking state deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to Banbirpur village.[25][26] The protestors walking on the road were hit and ran over from behind by a speeding Mahindra Thar, an SUV. Two other vehicles in the convoy quickly followed the first car and crushed the injured who were lying on the ground.[27] According to witnesses, gunshots were also fired.[1] The protesters torched the Thar and Fortuner cars and killed three of its occupants, while the driver of the third car in the convoy, a Scorpio, fled the site with his car.[37]

Total eight people died in the violence.[25] Two farmers died on the spot while two more died later in the hospital.[38][25] Ten farmers were injured.[39][40] Raman Kashyap, a 28-year-old journalist working with the private TV news channel was among those killed.[20][38] According to his father and brother, Kashyap was hit by the car and grievously injured.[41] Three persons in the minister's convoy (the driver of Ajay Mishra and two BJP workers) were lynched by the farmers subsequently, two of the three died.[38]

Two of these cars involved were owned by the Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra. According to the eyewitnesses the minister's son, Ashish Mishra, was in one of the cars in the convoy.[42]

Investigation

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Two First information reports (FIR) on the incident were filed in the Tikunia police station.[36] The complainant alleged that the event was 'premeditated' and a "conspiracy was hatched by the minister" and his son. Ashish Mishra, along with around 20 unnamed men, was accused and charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, rash driving, and rioting among others. The charges listed in the FIR were Indian Penal Code sections 147, 148, 149 (all three related to rioting), 279 (rash driving), 338 (causes grievous hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life), 304A (causing death by negligence), 302 (murder), and 120B (party to a criminal conspiracy)[26] Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra, was allegedly driving the car involved in the incident. Mishra had denied the charge and evaded police questioning for six days.[43][4]

The Supreme Court heard the case after two lawyers from Uttar Pradesh wrote to Chief Justice N. V. Ramana, seeking a federal investigation into the incident. The Supreme Court criticised the Uttar Pradesh government and expressed dissatisfaction over the steps taken so far. The court also asked the police why the minister's son had not been arrested when he was accused of a serious crime of murder. Chief Justice Ramana speaking for the court disapproved of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Government of Uttar Pradesh as "the people in the commission, they're all local officers".[38][44][2]

Ashish Mishra appeared for questioning before the SIT six days after the incident. He was arrested and taken to custody on 9 October 2021.[38] Three more people were also arrested.[21][3] On 12 October, he was taken to the violence site for reconstruction of the events.[3]

The forensic team of the investigators recovered two empty .315 firearm cartridges from Ashish's vehicle in the incident site.[29] A forensic examination of the cartridges was sought. The presence of empty cartridges in his vehicle could not be explained by Ashish. Ashish was accused of shooting at the farmers.[45]

On 15 October, four firearms, including a rifle belonging to Ashish Mishra (alias Monu Mishra) were recovered by the Uttar Pradesh Police.[citation needed] Among the weapons were a pistol owned by a nephew of a former Union minister and a repeater gun, held by the bodyguard of the nephew. A revolver was also recovered. Forensic tests conducted at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) on the firearms confirmed that they were fired, but the report did not confirm if they were fired on the day of the violence. Among the 20 people accused in the police report, police have arrested 13.[26]

Raman Kashyap was in Tikunia to cover the rally but was killed in the violence. His brother Pawan Kashyap stated that the SIT investigation had found that his brother was crushed to death by a car and not lynched by farmers. Pawan filed a complaint with the police but no FIR was registered by the Police on his complaint. Pawan moved the court for instructions to the police for pressing charges related to Kashyap's death against 14 people, including the minister and his son.[26] The complaint stated "As per eyewitnesses, the journalist was shot at while he was covering the car. Gunshots can be heard in the footage as well".[31]

On 15 November 2021, the Supreme Court directed Uttar Pradesh government to "upgrade" the SIT with more senior police officers and include a retired judge "to ensure proper investigation".[46]

On 25 November 2021, afternoon, the new SIT, consisting of SB Shiradkar, Indian Police Service (IPS) 1993, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) of Uttar Pradesh, Police intelligence, posted in Lucknow; Padmaja Chauhan, IPS of 1998 batch, posted as Inspector General of Police (IG), recruitment board; Preetinder Singh, IPS 2004 batch, Punjab Cadre currently posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in Saharanpur range, visited the crime scene in the Tikunia village, and met amongst others, with Upendra Agarwal, (DIG) the former head of the SIT.[47] The three IPS officers, were accompanied by Rakesh Kumar Jain retired judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court who had been appointed by Chief Justice NV Ramana to "ensure impartiality and independence of the investigation."[48]

On 15 December, Senior Prosecution Officer (SPO) SP Yadav told the media that the Chief Investigator of the SIT Vidyaram Diwakar (Inspector Crime Branch, Kheri), probing Tikunia violence has moved an application in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Chinta Ram. In the application the chief investigator has stated that causing death by ramming a vehicle into the farmers was "not an act of negligence or carelessness." but "a pre-planned conspiracy". The chief investigator in the application recommended that the earlier IPC sections in the FIR namely sections 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way), 338 (Whoever causes grievous hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently) and 304A (Causing death by negligence) be replaced with IPC sections 307 (Attempt to murder), 326 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), and sections 3/25/30 of the Arms Act.[49]

On 3 January 2022 The SIT filed a 5,000 page charge-sheet against 14 people, including Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, who has been named the main accused. The charge-sheet was submitted in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Chinta Ram. In addition to Ashish Mishra the charge-sheet names Ankit Das, Nandan Singh Bisht, Satyam Tripathi, alias Satyam, Latif, alias Kale, Shekhar Bharti, Sumit Jaiswal, Ashish Pandey, Lavkush Rana, Shishu Pal, Ullas Kumar, alias Mohit Trivedi, Rinku Rana and Dharmendra Banjara. In addition to these names Virendra Shukla’s name has been added in the charge sheet under IPC Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence). The court accepted the charge sheet and fixed 10 January as the next date of hearing.[50]

Aftermath

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An alleged video of the incident shared by BJP parliamentarian Varun Gandhi showed a vehicle ramming unarmed protesters from behind.[51]

On 9 October, the farmer unions termed the violence an "act of terror" that was part of a larger conspiracy to break the ten-month-old farmers' protest. The union stated, this "massacre" during the farmer's movement was analogous to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre during the Indian independence movement. The unions and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) planned several protests calling for the immediate dismissal and arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni and his son Ashish.[52][53] Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary, called the incident "not less than a terror attack".[54][55] Opposition parties held protest meetings against the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Canadian MP Sukh Dhaliwal, shaken by the video of the incident, called it a terror attack no different than London, Ontario truck attack.[56][57]

Editors Guild of India (EGI) demanded a probe by a court-led special investigative team on the death of the journalist and asked the media to report facts. The EGI stated, "In what is clearly a terror attack meant to spread fear amongst the farmers, the killing of Kashyap raises many questions. The Editors Guild demands that the death of Kashyap be separately probed by a Court-led special investigation team to ascertain the circumstances of his death and also attempt to recover and use the footage of his camera to build the sequence of events leading to his death. EGI is concerned about the varying versions of the incident in different sections of the media. It is imperative for the media to report the facts and not versions."[58]

Calls for removal of Teni from Home ministry post

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On 26 November 2021 the Delhi Legislative Assembly passed a resolution demanding the sacking of MoS Ajay Misra from his post of Minister of State.[59][60]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sources covering the firearms shooting.[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]
  2. ^ a b Roy, Debayan. "Lakhimpur Kheri Uttar Pradesh massacre: "Action of UP govt only in words:" Supreme Court unhappy with probe". Bar and Bench – Indian Legal news. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
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  4. ^ a b Singh, IP (7 October 2021). "Punjab BJP maintains silence on Lakhimpur Kheri | Chandigarh News – Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 9 October 2021. When all other parties in Punjab are very active on Lakhimpur Kheri massacre, Punjab BJP has been maintaining a complete silence on it.
  5. ^ "प्रियंका यांच्या प्रतिमानिर्मितीचा खटाटोप!". Loksatta (in Marathi). Retrieved 13 October 2021. Massacre in lakhimpur kheri political developments priyanka gandhi
  6. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri: The Chronology Behind the Massacre". The Newster. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
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  8. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre| ಲಖೀಂಪುರ್ ರೈತ ಹತ್ಯಾಕಾಂಡ; ಹುತಾತ್ಮರಿಗೆ ದೇಶದ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ರೈತ ಸಮೂಹದಿಂದ ಅಂತಿಮ ನಮನ!". News18 Kannada (in Kannada). 12 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre: Farmers To Intensify Stir| Countercurrents". 9 October 2021.
  10. ^ Siddiqi, Tania (13 October 2021). "Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre: India escalates terror targeting farmers". Workers World.
  11. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri massacre: In the status report before SC, UP police inserts the word "honourable" four times to address the Minister while translating the FIR". The Probe. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri: Sidhu breaks his hunger strike after Union minister's son to joins investigation". The Statesman. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021. Sidhu began his hunger strike on Friday evening demanding the son of Union minister Ajay Mishra be made part of the investigation in the Lakhimpur massacre
  13. ^ "SKM condemns "bhakta media" for Lakhimpur Kheri massacre". SabrangIndia. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre: A Turning Point". ML Update. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Have sought audience with President Kovind on Lakhimpur Kheri violence, tweets Congress. Then hits delete". Hindustan Times. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021. The shocking incident of broad daylight massacre of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri has shaken the conscience of the entire nation.
  16. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri massacre". News WWC. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre: ಉಪ್ರ. ಚುನಾವಣೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಬೀರಲಿದೆಯೇ ಲಖೀಂಪುರ್ ರೈತ ಹತ್ಯಾಕಾಂಡ; ಬಿಜೆಪಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತಳಮಳ". News18 Kannada (in Kannada). 12 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  18. ^ Sources calling the incident a massacre[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
  19. ^ സുരേഷ് കുമാർ, എ എസ് (10 November 2021). "ല ഖിം പു ർ: വെടി പൊട്ടിയത് മന്ത്രിപുത്ര െൻറ തോക്കിൽനിന്ന് | Madhyamam". www.madhyamam.com. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Local journalist among 8 killed in Lakhimpur Kheri violence". Tribune India. Tribune News Service. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Lakhimpur Kheri deaths: SIT arrests driver of SUV in convoy". The Indian Express. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021. While four protesters and allegedly a journalist were run over, three others were killed in the subsequent violence.
  22. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri violence case: SIT recovers 'stick used to lynch two BJP leaders, driver'". The Indian Express. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  23. ^ Schmall, Emily, Hari Kumar, and Mujib Mashal.The New York Times (22 October 2021). "Violence Strikes, and India's Farmers Want You to See It". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 February 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ a b Tur, Jatinder Kaur. "I was definitely targeted in the Lakhimpur violence: Farmer leader Tajinder Singh Virk". The Caravan. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  25. ^ a b c "Eight killed in violence during protest against ministers in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri: Police". Hindustan Times. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  26. ^ a b c d "Forensic report confirms that weapons seized from MoS Ajay Mishra's son were fired". ThePrint. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri: 15-Year-Old Still In Trauma After Seeing Father Being Crushed Under The Wheel". outlookindia.com/. Retrieved 13 October 2021. The father and son were walking together along with hundreds of other farmers to their houses when the jeep came from behind and ran over many of them. In quick succession, two other vehicles, a Scorpion and Fortuner, followed it crushing all those who were already seriously injured and lying on the ground.
  28. ^ ലേഖകൻ, മാധ്യമം (10 November 2021). "Lakhimpur shooting: Evidence against Union Minister's son ലഖിംപുർ: വെടി പൊട്ടിയത് മന്ത്രിപുത്ര െൻറ തോക്കിൽനിന്ന്". madhyamam.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  29. ^ a b ".315 bore casings found at Lakhimpur Kheri site: All you need to know about this cartridge". Firstpost. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021. Two cartridge casings of .315 bore have reportedly been found by a forensics team from the scene of the 3 October violence in Lakhimpur Kheri.
  30. ^ Rashid, Omar (5 October 2021). "Bullet injury ignored; family of dead Kheri farmer wants second autopsy". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 December 2021. Seen fleeing, shooting. Persons claiming to be eyewitnesses in Tikonia said they saw Ashish Mishra sitting in the SUV that moved down the farmers on Sunday and alleged that after his car lost balance, he abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. While doing so, he fired at Gurvinder who tried to catch him.
  31. ^ a b "No doubt how he died… he was crushed by minister son's cars: Journalist family". The Indian Express. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  32. ^ "UP: 8 Dead, Tensions High in Lakhimpur Kheri, FIR Against Minister's Son; Priyanka, Akhilesh Detained". The Wire. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  33. ^ "Farmers Pay Tribute to Those Killed in Lakhimpur Kheri". www.thecitizen.in. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  34. ^ Rashid, Omar (6 October 2021). "Lakhimpur Kheri violence | Second autopsy silent on bullet injury, says family of slain farmer Gurvinder Singh". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  35. ^ "4 Farmers Killed by BJP Union Minister's Son and His Goons in Lakhimpur Kheri: Samyukta Kisan Morcha". NewsClick. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021. Corroborating Singh's account, Guramneet Mangat, who was present at the spot when the alleged shooting and killings occurred, said, "After the minister was gone, and the farmers were about to disperse, Ashish Mishra, his brother, and a few goons arrived at around 3 – 3.15 pm in three cars. They drove haphazardly and ran over farmers who were there on the side of the road. They started firing at the farmers as well. One farmer was shot at from a very close distance. He has died.
  36. ^ a b Saxena, Nidhi Suresh,Shivangi. "Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Eyewitnesses recall what they saw on October 3". Newslaundry. Retrieved 13 October 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri: 13 in jail for farmer deaths; minister son's bail plea to be heard Nov 15". Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  38. ^ a b c d e "Ashish Mishra: India minister's son arrested over Lakhimpur violence". BBC News. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  39. ^ "Farmers run over by Union Minister's convoy in Lakhimpur Khiri: 3 dead". Gauri Lankesh News. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  40. ^ "Protesting Farmers 'Crushed to Death' by Union Minister's Convoy in UP". groundxero. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  41. ^ Rashid, Omar (5 October 2021). "Lakhimpur Kheri incident: Reporter's father says he died after being run over". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
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  43. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri: India minister's son evades police questioning". BBC News. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  44. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri incident: Supreme Court slams UP government over delay in arrest of Ashish Misra". Hindustan Times.
  45. ^ Singh, Kanwardeep. "Ashish Mishra: Lakhimpur violence; After 12 hours of questioning, minister's son in judicial custody". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  46. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri violence: UP govt agrees to appointment of retired judge to monitor probe". The Indian Express. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  47. ^ Deccan Herald (26 November 2021). "New SIT Team Reaches Lakhimpur Kheri, Begins Probe". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  48. ^ Prakash, Satya (17 November 2021). "Supreme Court appoints Punjab and Haryana High Court ex-judge RK Jain to monitor probe in Lakhimpur violence". Tribune News Service. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  49. ^ Times of India (14 December 2021). "SIT report on Lakhimpur Kheri provides fresh ammunition to opposition as Priyanka questions govt". Times of India. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  50. ^ Pandey, Sanjay (3 January 2022). "SIT files 5,000-page charge sheet in Lakhimpur Kheri case; Ashish Mishra prime accused". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  51. ^ ""Crystal clear": BJP's Varun Gandhi tweets new Lakhimpur video, demands jutice". Hindustan Times.
  52. ^ "Farmer unions term Lakhimpur Kheri carnage 'a terror act'". telegraphindia.com. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  53. ^ "Lakhimpur Kheri incident 'terror attack', part of 'pre-planned conspiracy', SKM alleges". 9 October 2021.
  54. ^ "Lakhimpur incident a 'terror attack', slap UAPA on accused: Jayant Chaudhary | english.lokmat.com". Lokmat English. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  55. ^ Jaiswal, Anuja (7 October 2021). "Lakhimpur Kheri incident no less than a terror attack, says Jayant Chaudhary, seeks UAPA against minister, son | Agra News – Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  56. ^ Service, Tribune News. "Sidhu skips party's Amritsar protest over Lakhimpur killings". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
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  58. ^ Team, BS Web (5 October 2021). "Lakhimpur Kheri case: Editors Guild demands SIT probe on journalist's death". Business Standard India. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  59. ^ Mehra, Sushant (26 November 2021). "Delhi Assembly passes resolution demanding removal of MoS Ajay Misra over Lakhimpur Kheri case". India Today. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  60. ^ "Assembly passes resolution condemning farm laws". The Hindu. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
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