The UP police arrested Ashish Misra on Saturday and he is sent to judicial custody, in backdrop Priyanka holding Varanasi Kisan rally.
Ashish Misra is Union Minister of State (MoS) Ajay Misra’s son allegedly involved in the violence that broke out in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3. The move comes a week after strident calls by farmers’ bodies and political parties demanding the arrest of Ashish Misra, who was named in an FIR over allegations that he was in one of the vehicles that mowed down four farmers protesting against the three farm laws at Tikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri district.
After being placed under arrest and questioned for about 12 hours by the UP Police, Ashish Misra was produced before a remand magistrate on Saturday night, who ordered him to be sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
“We are taking him in custody on grounds of non-cooperation and evasive replies. He will be produced in court and sustained custodial interrogation will follow,” DIG Upendra Agarwal, who is heading the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, told PTI.
In the backdrop of the Lakhimpur violence, Priyanka Gandhi is holding a Varanasi rally and
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the Kisan Nyay rally in Varanasi will not only light up a new path for Uttar Pradesh but also serve as a warning for political rivals in Delhi
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party leader Rahul Gandhi are at the venue of the Kisan Nyay Rally in Varanasi.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will address Kisan Nyay (justice for farmers) rally in Varanasi on Sunday, October 10 in Rohania area of the temple town where her giant cut-outs along with those of Rahul Gandhi have been put up in what seems like a massive announcement of the beginning of the election season in Uttar Pradesh.
Senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari and party national secretary Rajesh Tiwari were among the party leaders who inspected the venue to ensure every bit of detail was taken care of for the rally, being billed as the UP assembly election 2022 campaign opener for the Congress.
Congress leader Ajai Rai said Priyanka Gandhi will first offer prayers at Baba Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Maa Durga Kund Temple in the city before addressing the Kisan Nyay Rally.
Party leaders have held several meetings in eastern UP districts, including Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi among others to gather support for Gandhi’s Kisan Nyay rally. The Congress leaders, including Tiwari, also met elderly Congressmen and locals in Ballia, Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh, Bhadohi, and Jaunpur during these visits.
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the Kisan Nyay rally in Varanasi will not only light up a new path for Uttar Pradesh but also serve a warning for political rivals in Delhi.
“We will not rest in peace until the culprits of the heinous crime committed against farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri are put behind bars. We will give full fight for the farmers’ rights so that
He said that the Congress has fought for the rights of farmers since the freedom struggle. He mentioned that the Land Acquisition Act was passed by a Congress-led government at the Centre to protect the rights of farmers.
Lallu claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh was silent on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and questioned why it didn’t release posters of the accused involved in the mowing of a group of farmers last Sunday.
Lallu accused the state government of protecting Ashish Mishra, an accused in the Lakhimpur violence case and son of Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra Teni.
“Instead of taking action against the accused booked under a serious section like 302, a notice was served by the police. What does the government want to show by issuing a notice to appear before the police for interrogation,” he asked.
“We will hold the Kisan Nyay Rally in Varanasi on Sunday. Congress’ struggle will continue until the farmers get justice,” Lallu added.
On Saturday, Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, “The aggrieved farmer families have only one demand: justice to them. It is impossible to get justice without the dismissal of the minister and arrest of the accused of murder. What message does the government want to convey by sending an invitation to the accused of murder to appear [for questioning before the police]?” The government should not protect the guilty but punish them, she added.