Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu started fast in UP on Friday Lakhimpur Kheri announced that he would continue this till the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra is arrested. A day after he was detained along with Punjab Congress leaders in Saharanpur, Sidhu on Friday met the families of farmers killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. The minister’s son Ashish Mishra is an accused in the case and the police had asked him to appear for questioning on Friday, but he dropped it.
Sidhu, who met the family of 28-year-old journalist Raman Kashyap, one of the eight killed in the violence, went on a fast and can be seen lying on a cot at the journalist’s house in Lakhimpur Kheri. Sources said Sidhu is also observing a ‘maun vrat’.
Punjab cabinet minister Vijay Inder Singla, who is among the Congress leaders from Punjab accompanying Sidhu, said that they would also sit with him on fast. Sidhu had earlier demanded the arrest of the minister’s son, saying he would go on hunger strike if action was not taken against him by Friday.
Sources said Sidhu has said that he will continue his fast till Ashish Mishra joins the investigation and is brought to Kashyap’s house by the police after he is taken into custody. Meanwhile, in a tweet, Sidhu tagged pictures of his meeting with a family, saying, “Justice delayed – justice denied.” During their meeting, Sidhu consoled the family members of Lovepreet Singh.
Sidhu later said, “What has happened is a barbaric crime. The whole of India is demanding justice. Loss of human life can never be compensated.” Lovepreet’s father said that he wants justice, Sidhu said. Sidhu said, “There is evidence, there is video evidence. There is name in the FIR, there are accounts of witnesses. But the arrest is not happening because he (Ashish) is the son of a Union minister.”
He said that there cannot be two standards of justice. Assuring all possible help to the families of the victims, Punjab Minister Singla said justice must be ensured and they will continue to pressurize the Center to immediately sack Ajay Mishra and arrest his son.
Singla said that farmers are the backbone of the country and their killing in broad daylight is heart-wrenching and very sad. Sidhu, who is accompanied by ministers and MLAs from Punjab, was on Thursday allowed to move towards Lakhimpur Kheri, hours after he was detained at a police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.
Earlier in the day, a delegation of Shiromani Akali Dal led by Harsimrat Kaur Badal met the families of farmers and journalists. A party statement said Badal, a former Union minister, demanded immediate sacking of Ajay Mishra besides his son’s arrest.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal was accompanied by senior party leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundoor, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Bikram Singh Majithia, Manpreet Singh Ayali and SGPC chief Jagir Kaur. Badal said, “Video footage of Ashish Mishra’s vehicle is available. Eyewitnesses say that Ashish Mishra fled the spot. He should be arrested immediately for murder,” Badal said.
Similarly, there was a video footage of the Union minister allegedly threatening farmers and even inciting violence against them, she alleged. “It is wrong to keep him in the Union cabinet and the central government should take immediate action against him,” he said.
SGPC President Jagir Kaur handed over a check of Rs.5 lakh each to each victim’s family and assured that they will look after the educational needs of the families of the victims. Four of the eight people who died on Sunday were farmers who were allegedly hit by vehicles carrying BJP workers. Following this, the enraged farmers allegedly thrashed some people in the vehicles to death.
The other dead include two BJP workers and their driver. The farmers claimed that Ashish Mishra was in a vehicle, a charge denied by him and his father.
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