Lakhimpur Kheri case: Accused Ashish Mishra walks free after four months
Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Feb, 2022 12:34 PM
Lucknow, Feb 15 (IANS) Ashish Mishra, son of union minister Ajay Mishra Teni, who was accused of mowing down four farmers in Lakhimpur on October 3 last year, following a protest by farmers, was released from Lakhimpur jail on Tuesday evening, after the Allahabad High Court corrected its order.
Ashish Mishra had moved the Lucknow bench of the High Court seeking insertion of sections 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC that were 'inadvertently' not mentioned in the high court order as the jail authorities would not release him due to the omission.
"It is a mere typographical error, while the court already considered the bail under these sections too and, as such, the same may be allowed making the addition of these sections in the order," said the application.
Ashish Mishra was arrested on October 9 last year by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing the incident.
"Ashish Mishra has been arrested as he was not cooperating during the interrogation and did not answer a few questions," DIG Upendra Agarwal had told reporters at the time of his arrest.
An FIR was registered against him and a few others over the incident, but the UP police did not move against him until the Supreme Court decided to take up the matter.
His arrest came a day after the apex court expressed its dissatisfaction with the UP government over the action taken in the case.
Ashish turned up for questioning the second time he was summoned, and after 12 hours the nine-member SIT headed by DIG Agarwal, arrested him.
It may be recalled that eight people were killed on October 3, 2021, after violence erupted during a farmers' protest, claiming the lives of farmers and BJP workers ahead of a visit to Lakhimpur by UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
Four of the dead were farmers who were mowed down by a speeding SUV, belonging to Ashish Mishra. One journalist covering the incident was also killed in the incident.
Three BJP workers were killed in retaliatory violence.
The Special Investigation Team probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident has said that there was a planned conspiracy to murder protesting farmers.
Meanwhile, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesman, Rakesh Tikait, has said the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will approach the Supreme Court over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence episode in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed.
The development comes after the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of farmer bodies, suspended the agitation after the Union government repealed the three farm laws and conceded its other demands. Subsequently the farmers started vacating the Delhi borders where they have been stationed for more than a year.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday gave a clarion call for the establishment of a truly federal structure in the country, with genuine cultural, political and economic autonomy to states. It also announced to implement a Rs 50,000 per acre crop insurance scheme, besides commitment to revive the pre-2004 pension scheme for government employees.
In order to provide constructed houses to the economically weaker section (EWS) across the state, the Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday approved invitation of applications for allotment of 25,000 houses to be constructed by urban development authorities. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Charanjit Channi here.
On October 3, eight people, including four protesting farmers, had died when a SUV belonging to Ashish Mishra had mowed them down on the outskirts of Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. One local journalist had died in the ensuing violence.
Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief Amarinder Singh on Tuesday warned Punjab Police officials against intimidating his party workers at the behest of some local Congress leaders. The former Chief Minister was reacting to reports of Punjab cops stopping PLC workers, who were putting up posters in the Malwa region.
Before the account was restored, a tweet was shared with a URL on PM Modi's timeline which read, "India has officially adopted bitcoin as legal tender. The government has officially bought 500 BTC and is distributing them to all residents of the country."
