Lakhimpur kheri Case: Ashish Mishra, accused of mowing down farmers, granted bail

Lucknow:  The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday granted bail to Lakhimpur Kheri case prime accused Ashish Mishra. Ashish is the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni.

Last month, the Special Investigation Team probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case had in a chargesheet named Ashish Mishra as the prime accused in the case and said that there was a planned conspiracy to murder the protesting farmers. In the 5,000-page chargesheet, the number of accused in the case was also increased to 14.

Eight people had died in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident which had taken place on October 3, 2021, during a farmers’ protest against the now-repealed three controversial farm laws last year. Of the dead, four were farmers, a journalist, two BJP workers and a driver.

Ashish Mishra and former Union minister Akhilesh Das’s nephew Ankit Das are among the accused persons in the case.

It may be noted here that Mishra was arrested on October 9 last year. “Ashish Mishra has been arrested as he was not cooperating during the interrogation and did not answer a few questions,” SIT DIG Upendra Agarwal had said at the time of Mishra’s arrest.

Mishra was arrested a day after the Supreme Court had expressed its dissatisfaction with the Uttar Pradesh government over inaction in the matter.

In the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, the violence had taken place during a farmers’ protest, ahead of a visit to Lakhimpur by state Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

The four farmers were mowed down by a speeding SUV, which belonged to Ashish Mishra. One journalist at the site was also killed in the incident. In the resulting violence, two BJP workers and a driver of the SUV in the convoy also lost their lives.