Lakhimpur farmers want case to be shifted out of UP
Darpan News Desk IANS, 31 Mar, 2022 11:20 AM
Lakhimpur Kheri, March 31 (IANS) The families of four farmers who were mowed down allegedly by Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni's son's convoy during the October 3 violence last year, are now demanding that the case be moved out of Uttar Pradesh.
Talking to reporters on Thursday, Gursevwak Singh, the elder brother of Gurwinder Singh, who was one of the four farmers who died, said: "The case should be transferred to Delhi. We all know that the proceedings are being influenced here. No action was taken against the union minister despite his video threatening farmers having gone viral.
"The Uttar Pradesh government's attitude is different when it comes to criminals who are from their own party. There is no scope of justice in Uttar Pradesh. That is evident from the way an eyewitness was thrashed and his case was closed by the local police."
Satnam Singh, the father of 19-year-old Lovepreet Singh, who was also killed in the violence, said: "Despite having all the evidence, we sometimes think that we are fighting a lost battle. We all know that the state is trying to save the accused. The Minister is openly giving statements saying he proved his 'innocence' by ensuring the BJP's win in Lakhimpur Kheri."
Jagdeep Singh, son of Nachattar Singh who was seen tossed in the air by the speeding SUV, said: "There is no way we can get justice in Uttar Pradesh. The main accused was given bail easily despite the SIT submitting evidence in court calling the incident 'premeditated' and 'not an act of negligence'. It was one of the most heinous crimes in the country.
"We are now going to approach the apex court to get the case transferred to Delhi or elsewhere to ensure justice for farmers."
India's civil aviation regulator, the DGCA, on Thursday extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till January 31.Earlier, India had announced plans to allow resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services from December 15 with certain conditions.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the country's top security officers held a meeting on Wednesday over the situation arising out of the IAF chopper crash in Tamil Nadu that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others onboard the ill-fated helicopter.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of the farmers protesting along the borders of the national capital over agricultural issues, have agreed to the draft proposal prepared by the Central government, and is expected make a "major announcement" on Thursday. A meeting is likely to be held on Thursday noon to decide the further strategy of the movement.
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday lashed out at the Congress high command for appointing Ajay Maken as the Chairman of the screening committee for shortlisting candidates for the next Vidhan Sabha elections in Punjab. In a statement here, Amarinder Singh said Maken is the nephew of (late) Lalit Maken, who was one of the main culprits of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the sand mafia in Punjab alone runs illegal business of over Rs 20,000 crore. There are serious allegations of direct involvement of ruling Congress MLAs, their ministers and their close associates, including the Chief Minister himself.
