Lakhimpur Kheri: Ashish Mishra arrested after 12 hours of questioning

Ashish Mishra, son of union minister of state Ajay Mishra and accused for murder in the killing of four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday was arrested on Saturday after close to 12 hours of questioning.Speaking to media reporters in Lakhimpur Kheri, Deputy inspector General Upendra Agarwal said Mishra was taken into custody on the grounds of being “non-cooperative” and “evasive” in his replies during the questioning. He will now be produced before the court, he said. Mishra had skipped the first summon police sent for him to appear on Friday following which a second summon was sent. He arrived at the crime branch office in Lakhimpur Kheri at 11 am on Saturday.

Speaking to media on Friday, union minister of state in the home department, Ajay Mishra had reiterated that Ashish was not present at the site of the incident but at the venue of the program organised by him, 4 kms away from the spot. The FIR which names Mishra and 15-20 other people under sections 302 (murder), 304A (causing death by negligence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), among others, has mentioned that he was sitting the left side of the Thar vehicle , came firing towards the procession of farmers and ran over them. Gurvinder Singh, 22, died due to the fire shot, while Mishra fled into the field, it was alleged. Apart from Mishra, names of six people had come to light out of which three had already died on the spot and two other arrested on Thursday, the police had said after arresting two – Lav Kush and Ashish Pandey on Thursday.A total of eight people- four farmers, two BJP workers, Mishra’s driver as well as a local journalist were killed after Mishra’s car ran over a procession of farmers whk had gathered to protest in Tikonia. They were protesting against a speech given by Mishra on September 25 where he had told farmers to “mend their ways” or he would “teach them a lesson”.