Lakhimpur violence case: Ashish Mishra denied bail, two more sent to police custody

The Lakhimpur Kheri violence, in which four farmers were killed, is “absolutely condemnable,” Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said, emphasising that there are issues of such nature happening in other parts of India equally which should be raised "when they happen and not when it suits others" because there is a BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

A delegation of Congress leaders, including former party president Rahul Gandhi, will meet President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday and present a memorandum of facts on the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, party sources said. The seven-member delegation will comprise leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leaders AK Antony and Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal. Sources said the delegation will meet the President on Wednesday at 11.30am.

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Dushyant Gautam on Tuesday alleged that the Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is differentiating between deaths of people and termed it as a 'dangerous' practice.

Despite many farmers being stopped at Kheri borders, nearly 20,000, by some estimates, gathered at a field in Tikunia less than a km from the site of the Lakhimpur Kheri killings for the last rites of four farmers and a journalist who died in the violence. Farmer leaders said the protests will grow stronger every day until Union minister Ajay Mishra, whose son Ashish has been accused of killing the farmers and the journalist, is sacked.

The "political ardas" organised by the opposition parties in Lakhimpur Kheri in the name of paying tributes to the farmers who died in violence there was a "flop show", a UP government spokesperson said on Tuesday. The state government spokesperson further said people of Lakhimpur have "shown the mirror" to the opposition, which was out on a campaign to "divide society for vote bank".

Police arrested one more person in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and produced him in a court, which sent him to 14-day judicial custody. Meanwhile, two people moved applications for surrender at the CJM court. Senior prosecution officer SP Yadav said they have sought 14-day police custody of Shekhar Bharti and the hearing in this regard will take place on Wednesday.

Posters targeting Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and accusing her of extending fake sympathy to farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri violence on October 3 were spotted on way to the district. The posters spoke about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The posters read ‘Nahi chahiye farzi sahanubhooti’ (we don’t want fake sympathy), adding that farmers do not want sympathy from those responsible for the 1984 Sikh riots.

Keeping her promise made to families of farmers and a journalist who died in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in the first week of October, Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday attended the funeral prayers of the deceased. “Our protest will end only when farmers and journalist Raman Kashyapji get the justice they deserve,” Priyanka later tweeted on her social media handle. In Lakhimpur Kheri, she had said: “I have come here to attend the antim ardas… it will not be good to say anything else here.”

The "political ardas" organised by the opposition parties in Lakhimpur Kheri in the name of paying tributes to the farmers who died in violence there was a "flop show", a UP government spokesperson said on Tuesday. The state government spokesperson further said people of Lakhimpur have "shown the mirror" to the opposition, which was out on a campaign to "divide society for vote bank". "Not only in Lakhimpur, people of the entire state are satisfied with quick decisions of the Yogi Adityanath government on the Lakhimpur incident," he claimed. (PTI)

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Dushyant Gautam on Tuesday alleged that the Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is differentiating between deaths of people and termed it as a 'dangerous' practice. Gautam said while slamming Gandhi, "Priyanka Gandhi is differentiating between deaths of people, she is picking and choosing that where she should go to mourn someone's death and where she should not. It is extremely dangerous and people know where she is going with her antics. If she wants to do an ardaas, she should do it for the women who were widowed during the 1984 riots, she should do ardaas with the families of two schedule caste people who were killed using sticks in Rajasthan." Earlier on Thursday, a man was thrashed to death at Rohi Prempura village of Hanumangarh district in the state. The deceased has been identified as Jagdish Meghwal. Four people have been arrested and a minor detained in connection with the case in which a Dalit youth was allegedly beaten to death by a group of persons and his body dumped outside his house in Prempura village in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh district police said on Sunday. (PTI)

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said that comparisons between the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and the death of a Dalit man in Hanumangarh in Rajasthan are "foolish". "The comparisons between both incidents are absolutely foolish. BJP leaders are extremely foolish to suggest that Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should go to Rajasthan to take notice of the Dalit man's death in Hanumangarh. There is a Congress government here. We condemn the incident, we have apprehended a culprit and formed a team for this case. Rather Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, JP Nadda should make a visit to Rajasthan," Gehlot said. Earlier on Thursday, a man was thrashed to death at Rohi Prempura village of Hanumangarh district in the state. The deceased has been identified as Jagdish Meghwal. Four people have been arrested and a minor detained in connection with the case. (ANI)