Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Indian Youth Congress demands arrest of Union Minister's son

Members of the Indian Youth Congress IYC on Saturday staged a protest here demanding the dismissal of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra and the arrest of his son Ashish in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

Members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Saturday staged a protest here demanding the dismissal of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra and the arrest of his son Ashish in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. The protesters, led by IYC national president Srinivas BV, assembled at Sunehri Bagh Road to march towards Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence on Krishna Menon Marg, but were stopped by the police, which erected barricades at the protest venue. Seeking justice for the farmers who were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, the protestors demanded immediate arrest of Mishra's son. A few protestors also climbed onto the police barricades and raised anti-Centre slogans and demanded sacking of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra.

Protestors also tried to burn effigies of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah but the police snatched them, said IYC leaders.

Srinivas BV said for the first time in the history of the country, on one hand, the car of the son of the Minister of State for Home deliberately tramples on the farmers and the ruling party of the country seems to be standing not with those farmers but against them. ''Today is the sixth day of the massacre with farmers in Lakhimpur, but till now the Union Minister of State for Home has not been sacked. By supporting the accused and the killer, the BJP has made it clear they are enemy to the farmers,'' he alleged. ''We are demanding that the Minister of State for Home should be immediately sacked and the main accused Ashish Mishra should be arrested,'' he added. Four of the eight people who died in the violence on Sunday were farmers, allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. Angry farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles. The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver. Farmers have claimed that Ashish Mishra was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and his father who say they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time. Mishra's son Ashish appeared for questioning before the SIT on Saturday in the crime branch of the Police Lines here in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence on October 3.

''IYC members had gathered at Sunehri Bagh road. They were stopped here and not allowed to march ahead,'' a senior police officer said. ''We had placed barricades and deployed security personnel at the venue as a precautionary measure,'' he added. Five protesters, including IYC national president Srinivas BV were detained and taken to Mandir Marg police station. A case has also been registered. The detained protesters will be released later, the officer said. IYC national general secretary and Delhi in-charge Bhaiya Pawar, national media in-charge Rahul Rao, national secretary and Delhi co-incharge Khushboo Sharma were among those who took part in the protest.

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