Lakhimpur violence: two more arrested

Two more accused were on Wednesday arrested in connection with the Lakhimpur violence in which eight people were killed. Ankit Das, the nephew of the late Union minister Akhilesh Das and the owner of one of the vehicles that rammed into the protesting farmers, appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Also arrested from Lakhimpur was Vakil alias Kale. Another accused, Shekhar Bharti, was arrested on Tuesday.

Das and Vakil were produced in court which sent them in judicial remand for 14 days. With this, the total number of people arrested in connection with the mowing down of 4 farmers in Kheri on October 3 has gone to 6.

While the police sought their custody for interrogation, their lawyer opposed it saying no recovery is to be done from them.

Ashish Mishra, the son of Minister Ajay Mishra, has already been arrested in the case. The SIT had earlier quizzed the driver of Das.

Sources in the UP government have indicated that the members of SIT could be replaced with other officers. Seven of the SIT members are from the Lakhimpur district police force, and a few of them were purportedly present at the spot when the incident took place. According to a senior official in the UP government, during the probe, these cops could be quizzed as eyewitnesses.

Meanwhile, a local court denied bail to the main accused, Ashish Mishra. Senior prosecution officer SP Yadav said Ashish Mishra and his alleged accomplice Ashish Pandey moved bail applications on Wednesday but they were rejected by chief judicial magistrate Chinta Ram.