Ground zero Banbirpur silent before polls
LAKHIMPUR KHERI: Residents of Banbirpur, a village in Lakhimpur Kheri district where the October 3 incident took place claiming eight lives, seem to have gone silent just days before the fourth phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election on February 23.
Local people say the village is yet to recover from the violence. On October 3, 2021,, vehicles mowed down four farmers who were among those agitating against the new farm laws (since repealed). A local journalist and three others, including two BJP workers, also died in the incident. Banbirpur is part of the Nighasan assembly constituency. The BJP has held the seat since 2012. “Sir, political issues are never ending here but peace and communal harmony are above all. We believe that whosoever wins, peace and brotherhood should prevail,” said Surajpal Verma, a trader who owns a shop in the main market of Banbirpur, near the site of the violence.
A majority of people say they haven’t seen any development in Banbirpur that has a population of around 8000 and is home to Union minister of state for home affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni. The minister’s son, Ashish Mishra, is the prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. He was released on bail last week.
There are 4480 voters in the village. They include 1,100 voters of the Rana community, 500 Gurchhiya tribe members, 350 Yadavs, 110 Brahmins and 350 Sikhs. The local people said they wanted development but not at the cost of peace, they said. “We would definitely vote but in a sensible manner,” said Akash Mittal, 30, village head of Banbirpur. He accepted that a lot needed to be done for the village where basic amenities are in a shambles.
About the October 3 incident, some people warily said what happened here was not good. The protest involved farmers opposing the farm laws but it was made out to be a Sikhs versus BJP issue, they claimed. The Sikhs refused to comment on any political party, adding that they don’t have any grudges against anyone. Patel Ramkumar Verma of the BJP had won the seat in 2017, defeating Krishna Gopal Patel of the SP. The seat fell vacant after the death of Verma in 2018. In the by-election in 2019, Shashank Verma of the BJP won the seat.