Lakhimpur Kheri Violence: Viral Video Shows SUV Mowing Down Farmers; Here's What We Know So Far
Eight people, including four farmers were killed at Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri after being run over allegedly by BJP minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra on Sunday. Ever since the violence triggered outrage across the country, there have been many developments in the case. Take a look.
1. Protest called off
Farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, who have been protesting over Sunday's violence, have decided to call off the protest from ground zero and cremate the dead after the government announced hefty compensations for the dead and the injured.
Farmers from the state, and Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand arrived at the site of the incident in Tikunia in large numbers throughout Monday.
2. Viral video shows SUV mowing down farmers
A new video has surfaced, showing an SUV purportedly ramming into protesting farmers from behind, confirming statements of the farmers, who claimed that it had caught them without warning. Times Internet has not verified the video independently and so far, the driver of the vehicle, has not been identified.
It can be seen in the video, how farmers fall to the ground as one SUV hits them, while another with its sirens blaring is being driven behind.
3. Rs 45 lakh compensation, govt job to kin of victims
The government has promised to pay a compensation of ? 45 lakh to the families of those who died and?a government job to a family member.?The injured will receive a compensation of ? 10 lakh. A retired judge will investigate the matter, the government has said.
After a meeting with the police on Monday morning, the farmers agreed to cremate the bodies of the four people who were allegedly mowed down by the car. Several others were injured. Four others -- a journalist and three BJP workers -- died in the violence that followed.
4. Incident had ripples in the Supreme Court
The incident in Lakhimpur Kheri had ripples in the Supreme Court, where the farmers had appealed for permission to hold protests in the heart of Delhi.Representing the government, Attorney General KK Veugopal said, "There should be no further protests to prevent unfortunate incidents like the one in Lakhimpur Kheri yesterday". The court questioned why the farmers are continuing their protest since it has already put a freeze on the farm laws.
5. Priyanka Gandhi still in detention?
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she has been in detention for the ¡°past 28 hours¡± with neither an order nor an FIR filed against her. Gandhi was detained in Sitapur on Monday on her way to Lakhimpur Kheri to meet the families of the victims of the violence.?
What happened on the day of violence -- Oct 3
Upset over a recent speech by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra, farmers, on Sunday, 3 October, protesting in Tikonia area of Kheri tried to block Mishra and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from visiting.
Following which, a car from the minister¡¯s convoy mowed down farmers, leading to violence on the site of protest. Farmers have alleged that Mishra¡¯s son, Ashish Mishra, is the one who was driving the car and a murder case has been filed against him.?No arrests have been made so far.
Later, the angry farmers reportedly beat four BJP workers to death before setting their vehicles on fire.?
Meanwhile, Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, has refuted accusations that he was part of the convoy. "I was not in the car. I was at my family home in Banwirpur village where a wrestling match was being organised. I was there from the morning till the end of the event," he told NDTV.?
