Lakhimpur : Four more people including a BJP leader who were seen inside the SUV that mowed down protesting farmers at Lakhimpur have been arrested on October 18.
Police at the residence of one of the accused Satya Prakash Tripathi had found a licensed gun and three bullets. “Accused Sumit Jaiswal, Shishupal, Nandan Singh Bisht and Satya Prakash Tripathi have been arrested by Lakhimpur Kheri Police and SWAT team of Crime branch. Licensed revolver and three bullets were recovered from Satya Prakash Tripathi and seized,” a statement released by senior police official Prashant Kumar said.
Local BJP leader Sumit Jaiswal was seen in a viral video escaping from the vehicle that mowed down farmers. Earlier, he registered an FIR against farmers, reasoning that they attached his driver, friend and two BJP workers after the SUV hit the farmers.
On October 3, three SUVs hit four farmers and a journalist, one of which belongs to Ajay Mishra, Union Minister of State for Home. An FIR was registered at the Tikonia police station on October 3. Ashish Mishra, son of Ajay Mishra, was arrested on October 9. Families of farmers claimed that Ashish Mishra was sitting inside the lead SUV that crushed the farmers. The Supreme Court intervened in the case. Ashish Mishra’s arrest was followed by twelve hours of police questioning.
Ashish Mishra claimed that he was in his paternal village at the time of the incident and stayed there all day, denying the charge against him.
In the FIR lodged by Sumit Jaiswal, he claimed that the farmers attacked Ashish Mishra’s convoy and that the car was not moving.
He claimed while they were at the programme venue, the protesters climbed the car, shouted ‘Khalistan Zindabad, and attacked them. “They were armed with sticks and rocks, and they kept attacking us, abusing us,” Jaiswal said.
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