People look at an SUV damaged in yesterday’s violence during farmers’ protest in Tikoniya area of Lakhimpur Kheri district.
On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Police and Crime Branch’s SWAT team arrested four more people, including a BJP worker, in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident, taking the total number of arrests so far to 10, officials said.
He said that along with other accused in the case, Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra was also sent from police custody to judicial custody on Monday.
Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in violence on October 3 during a farmers’ protest in Tikonia area of the district, with the incident sparking a major political controversy over the alleged involvement of the Union minister’s son.
“On Monday, the crime branch of Lakhimpur Kheri police arrested four people along with the SWAT team. SIT investigators and other senior officers are interrogating the accused and further investigation is on,” UP Police said in a statement.
Those held have been identified as Sumit Jaiswal, Shishi Pal, Satya Prakash Tripathi alias Satyam and Nandan Singh Bisht, the police said.
According to the police, the SWAT team has also recovered a revolver and three live cartridges in the name of Satya Prakash Tripathi.
So far, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested 10 people including the main accused Ashish Mishra, Ankit Das, Ashish Pandey, Lavkush Rana, Shekhar Bharti and Latif.
Ashish Mishra, Ankit Das, Shekhar Bharti and Latif were sent to judicial custody on Monday after about a fortnight, officials said.
An FIR was registered at Tikonia police station on October 3 in which the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra ‘Theni’ was named as an accused apart from 15 to 20 unidentified persons.
The next day a counter-FIR was registered in the same police station based on the complaint of Sumit Jaiswal, who has now been arrested.
In the complaint, Jaiswal, a resident of Ayodhyapuri, identified himself as a BJP worker, who was on his way to a wrestling event to welcome Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to the Union minister’s native village, Banbirpur, when the violence broke out. escaped.
(with PTI input)
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