4 more arrested, farmers called for questioning

FIVE FARMERS FROM TIKUNIA AND NEARBY AREAS ALSO APPEARED FOR QUESTIONING

LUCKNOW : The SWAT team of the crime branch on Monday arrested four more accused in the Lakhimpur violence case. Among them was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, Sumit Jaiswal, who was present in the vehicle that allegedly mowed down four farmers during a protest against the agricultural laws on October 3, officials said.

The other three arrested people -- Shishupal of Lakhimpur Kheri, Nandan Singh of Lucknow and Satya Prakash Tripathi of Kaushambi -- were present in the remaining vehicles which were part of the convoy.

The team also recovered a revolver in the name of Satya Prakash and three live cartridges from his Kaushambi residence, according to a press statement shared by the police.

“The accused will be questioned about the incident and their involvement in it. We will also apply for their police custody remand, if they fail to cooperate in the interrogation,” said a senior police official.

In one of the many videos that went viral after the violence, Jaiswal was seen exiting the leading SUV after it rammed into farmers.

He also spoke to the media, alleging that the protesters pelted the vehicle with stones before it rammed into them.

With the arrests on Monday, the total number of arrests in the case now stood at 10.

Six people, including main accused Ashish Mishra, son of BJP junior minister Ajay Mishra Tani, Ankit Das and four others were arrested earlier.

All the accused were in judicial custody.

Meanwhile, five farmers from Tikunia and nearby areas who participated in the protest on October 3 also appeared for questioning before the investigation team. They were allowed to return home after that.